WALLACE: OK. Let me ask you about something that people would say would be a layup for you. Do you still feel that Virginia Governor Northam should step down for wearing blackface 35 years ago and do you support the Virginia House of Delegates holding a public hearing where the two women accusing Justin Fairfax, the lieutenant governor, of sexual assault, can testify?
PEREZ: Well, let’s take both questions together.
WALLACE: Right.
PEREZ: I called for Governor Northam to step down. I think his ability to govern has been compromised. As — as President Lincoln once said, public sentiment is everything. With it you can do anything. Without it, you can’t do anything.
So I —
WALLACE: So should he still step down?
PEREZ: Yes, I’ve called for that and I think his ability to govern has been undermined.
WALLACE: And Fairfax?
PEREZ: I have — I have a — I have a concern in the context of having a part-time state legislature conducting the hearings. I have been unequivocal in making sure that when allegations of this nature are made, that they are investigated. I don’t think the Virginia House of Delegates and the — in the Senate are the right place to investigate it. We should have an independent investigation that should be prompt, it should be thorough, it should be fair and — and it — it — that’s what should happen.
WALLACE: OK.