John Adams Is Having An Identity Crisis, DPVA Is Here To Help

RICHMOND, Va. – John Adams, the Republican nominee for Attorney General, is having an identity crisis. Last week, Adams released an introductory TV ad in which he failed to give himself a proper introduction to Virginia voters.

Fortunately for Mr. Adams, DPVA is here to help. So today, we’re unveiling RealJohnAdams.com, a website designed to help Virginians get to know the real John Adams.

So, who is John Adams, really?

1. A Political Insider Who Has Personally Profited By Putting Wealthy Special Interests Ahead of Virginia Families

Adams forgot to tell Virginia voters about his work for “some of the biggest companies in the country” as “Chair” of the “Government Investigations and White Collar Litigation Department” at one of the most powerful and politically well-connected law firms in the country with a client list that includes Vice President Mike Pence, Bank of America, and Countrywide.

In the past, Adams was proud to describe his lucrative work as a white collar criminal defense attorney, saying:

“I spend a lot of time in Washington doing what I do, which is essentially defend...companies who are being prosecuted by DOJ or investigated by the SEC.”

And:

“I spend the majority of my time defending corporations and also individuals who are being investigated by any number of three letter agencies, from DOJ, SEC, state attorneys general around the country.”

B. A White Collar Defense Attorney Who Has Made Millions Protecting Wealthy Special Interests And Big Banks Accused Of Skirting The Law

Attorney General Mark Herring’s campaign’s latest ad, “Quote,” highlighted some of the clients John Adams and the team he leads are proud to work for, including:

• Community One Bank, which agreed to pay $400,000 as restitution to more than 400 victims who suffered losses in the “Black Diamond” Ponzi scheme. (CCR Data Systems, Inc. et al v. Community One Bank, N.A., Case No. 3:16-cv-00063)

• ITT Corporation, a government contractor that was accused by a whistleblower, under The False Claims Act, of submitting fraudulent claims for government payments. (United States ex rel. Ladas v. Exelis, Inc., 824 F.3d 16)

• Bank of America, Countrywide, entities that that specialize in foreclosing on residences, and many others in foreclosure proceedings. (Rourk v. Bank of Am., 587 Fed. Appx. 597, North v. Bank of Am. Corp., 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 85546, North v. Bank of America Corp., 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12158, Wolf v. Fannie Mae, 512 Fed. Appx. 336)

RealJohnAdams.com reveals a few more of those clients:

• Banks that paid millions to settle allegations that they misled the retirement fund for Virginia teachers, police, and state employees. (Commonwealth of Virginia ex rel. Integra Rec LLC v. Countrywide Securities Corporation et al, Case No. 3:14-cv-00706)

• A student loan telemarketing business with a history of deceptive practices. (United States v. Collegiate Funding Servs., 469 Fed. Appx. 244)

• A medical practice accused of committing Medicare fraud. (United States v. Rush Univ. Med. Ctr., 680 F.3d 933)

C. Adams Has A Political Agenda That Would Move Virginia Backwards On Women’s Health And LGBT Equality

Adams’ political agenda includes:

1. Opposition to a woman’s right to choose:

• Adams fought twice at the US Supreme Court to limit women’s access to birth control, including in the infamous Hobby Lobby case. (Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., 2014 WL 333886 and Zubik v. Burwell, 2016 WL 322581)

• Adams said, "the legal underpinnings of Roe v. Wade" are "really questionable”.

     2. Opposition to marriage equality

• Adams called the US Supreme Court’s decision legalizing same-sex marriage “totally made up” and “not in the Constitution anywhere.”