Incoming Virginia Attorney General-elect talks priorities, investigations

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - Jason Miyares will be the first child of an immigrant ever elected to statewide office in Virginia. Saturday he will become the 48th Attorney General.

“I think that is an example of what I call the American miracle and I think January 15 at 12, noon when I take the oath of office that’s going to be a lot of the emotion of that journey and knowing where the Miyares family came from,” said Jason Miyares, (R) Virginia Attorney General-Elect.

Since the election, Jason Miyares says his focus has been on getting his executive team together. The Virginia Beach Republican says there’s really not an area of state government that the attorney general’s office doesn’t touch and he plans to be visible.

“I’m going to apply the law even if I may disagree with the law. That’s going to be my philosophy,” said Attorney General-elect Miyares.

Once attorney general, he will join a challenge to federal vaccine mandates. Miyares says he and his family are vaccinated and boosted.

“In my opinion, it was a broad broad example of federal overreach. And Thomas Jefferson said the states are the laboratories of democracy. Let the states figure out the best path forward,” said Attorney General-elect Miyares.

Miyares will also launch a pair of investigations. One into the handling of two related sexual assaults in Loudoun County high schools.

The other, into the state’s parole board for the 2020 parole of seven people who had been convicted for different murders.

“We’re going to begin an investigation from day one on the parole board scandal that broke out last year and in my opinion there still hasn’t been anybody held accountable,” said Attorney General-elect Miyares.

Miyares says he will also ramp up a host of consumer protection initiatives.

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