Republican Virginia attorney general fires January 6 investigator from university post

The attorney general of Virginia is sworn in during an inauguration ceremony for the governor of Virginia.

The top investigator for the House Select committee was fired from his position as the top attorney for the University of Virginia.

The removal of Timothy Heaphy from his position was routine according to a spokesman for the Virginia Attorney General. He was on leave while working for the panel.

Victoria LaCivita, a spokeswoman for the Miyares office, told CNBC that it is common for an incoming administration to appoint new staff that share the Attorney General's philosophy.
Democrats don't see it that way. The New York Times reported that the senator said that it was payback for Jan. 6.
The attorney general's decision to fire Heaphy was viewed by the Democratic Party of Virginia as ashameful attempt to whitewash the incidents of January 6th and appease his far-right allies.

The statement said that Virginians deserved an attorney general that would serve as the people's lawyer for the Commonwealth.

On January 6, 2021, supporters of Donald Trump attacked the U.S. Capitol, disrupting a joint session of Congress to certify Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 presidential election.
The general counsel at colleges and universities in Virginia is overseen by the attorney general.

The decision to remove a university lawyer is usually left to the school's leadership.
Attorney Timothy Heaphy gives an independent report on the issues concerning the white supremacist rally and protest in Virginia during a news conference.

In a statement to the Associated Press on Monday, LaCivita said that the decision was made after reviewing the legal decisions made over the last couple of years.
The attorney general wants the advice of the general counsel to be based on the law, according to LaCivita. The decision had nothing to do with the investigations.
He was the top attorney at the school since the beginning of the year. The Times reported that he was a U.S. attorney for the Western District of Virginia during the Obama administration.
In the summer of 2017, a highly critical independent review was published on behalf of the city of Charlottesville of how the police handled the violent white nationalist rally that led to dozens of injuries and the death of a woman.

Less than two weeks after Glenn Youngkin was inaugurated, he was fired.
The University of Virginia, the select committee and Heaphy's office have not responded to CNBC's inquiries.