Virginia’s new attorney general has removed two attorneys from university positions, including Timothy Heaphy, who took a leave of absence from his job at the University of Virginia to serve as the chief investigative counsel for the House of Representatives panel investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol breach.
Victoria LaCivita, a spokesperson for Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares, confirmed the terminations. The firing of Heaphy, LaCivita told The Epoch Times in an email, “had nothing to do with the January 6th committee or their investigations.”
“It is common practice for an incoming administration to appoint new staff that share the philosophical and legal approach of the Attorney General. Every counsel serves at the pleasure of the Attorney General,” she wrote.
A spokesperson for the Jan. 6, 2021, panel didn’t respond to a request for comment.
A spokesman for the University of Virginia told media outlets that “university leaders are grateful to Tim for his outstanding service to our community and disappointed to see it come to an end.”
In a statement released by the school, Heaphy said being the college’s counsel for three years had been an honor and privilege.
“While I’m disappointed that my time as University Counsel has come to an end, I’m confident that the office will continue to provide quality service as the University continues to thrive in the days to come,” he stated.
Heaphy began working at the university in September 2018. He went on a leave of absence in August 2021 from that job and his job as senior assistant attorney general to become an investigator for the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol. Mark Herring, Miyares’s predecessor and a Democrat, said at the time that he was “extremely proud” that a member of his team was asked to help the committee with its work.
According to the announcement, Heaphy was expected to be on leave for an undetermined amount of time, or “until the work of the Select Committee is completed.”
Brian Walthers, who served as counsel at George Mason University, was also removed by Miyares. Walthers started at the university in October 1999. He has no other job experience listed on his LinkedIn profile.
Walthers didn’t respond to a request for comment. George Mason told The Epoch Times in an email that Walthers “has been a respected and valued member of the university community for 22 years.”
“He has conducted himself in a professional manner and done an admirable job at Mason. We are sorry to see him go,” the school stated.
