Twitchy readers will (regretfully) remember the name of Buta Biberaj, the former Commonwealth's Attorney in Loudoun County, Virginia, who tried to prosecute father Scott Smith for attending a school board meeting to protest his daughter being sexually assaulted in a school bathroom. A sexual assault that the school district tried to cover up.
Thankfully, that prosecution failed. Even more thankfully, Biberaj was defeated and voted out of office in the 2023 Virginia state elections (a loss she handled about as well as everything else she handles).
But even though Biberaj is out of office, she may not be out of hot water.
Recently, local WJLA reporter Nick Minock uncovered a troubling scandal in Loudoun County where framed portraits of all of the county's former Commonwealth's Attorneys have mysteriously disappeared. And, coincidentally, they all went missing at once during Biberaj's time in office.
Multiple sources tell me portraits and photos of Loudoun County’s former Commonwealth’s Attorneys are missing and were last seen when CA Buta Biberaj was in office. I’m told the portraits go back to the 1800s and there are no back up copies of many of them.
— Nick Minock (@NickMinock) March 5, 2024
Probably not earth-shattering in scope but it is still disturbing. So Minock, who is a rare example of a true investigative reporter in traditional media (and the D.C. area), began to dig deeper into the story.
New: “The portraits and photographs of the previous commonwealth’s attorneys are a part of Loudoun County history. The County needs to have them back so that they can be appropriately preserved,” Loudoun County Commonwealth’s Attorney Bob Anderson told @7NewsDC
— Nick Minock (@NickMinock) March 5, 2024
More than 200 years of Virginia history ... just gone. But then things got really interesting when Minock traced the records back to determine when and how the portraits went missing.
Recommended
🚨We’ve learned new information on what may have happened to the missing portraits and photos that were last seen when Buta Biberaj was Loudoun County Commonwealth’s Attorney. https://t.co/m12DHpqDaC
— Nick Minock (@NickMinock) March 5, 2024
In an email obtained by 7News, Loudoun County Administrator Tim Hemstreet wrote on March 5, 2024, that the county was contacted by both CA Anderson and Clerk of the Circuit Court Gary Clemens on January 4, 2024, asking whether the county was in possession 'of framed photographs of former commonwealth’s attorneys.'
'This request caused County staff in the Department of General Services ('DGS') to check County records regarding any photographs that were sent for surplus or disposal from the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office. DGS staff identified a work order dated January 31, 2023, submitted by the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, requesting DGS to pick up, among a number of other items, '1 box of photos and other wall decorations for disposal. DGS records reflect that this box, as well as the other items, were picked up by DGS on February 10, 2023, and disposed of shortly thereafter ... DGS staff advised that the photographs were framed, so the photographs were removed and destroyed and the frames were processed for auction ... The County records reflect that the documents requesting DGS to pick up and dispose of '1 box of photos and other wall decorations' had the appropriate approvals from the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney.
Photos were removed and destroyed. Under signature from the Office of the Commonwealth's Attorney who, at the time, was Biberaj.
Minock could not determine conclusively (yet) that the photos destroyed were, in fact, the missing historical portraits, but this all sure sounds fishy. Especially since all of the destroyed photos were framed, just like the missing portraits were. An examination of the frames, which were not destroyed, might lead to a conclusion, but the frames were all processed for auction so that examination might not be possible.
One thing is clear: Biberaj has some explaining to do. But, of course, she is responding the way she responds to any questions or criticism.
Notice to @NickMinock Kristen Umstaddt and the Loudoun County Administration - stop with the attempts to assassinate my character. Your innuendos of wrong doing are falsehoods and will result in destroying you with your own words. Slander is actionable. https://t.co/LafQgGNg5R
— Buta Biberaj (@BBiberaj88205) March 7, 2024
No, Minock was not 'slandering' you, Buta. He is asking questions, based on credible evidence. You could answer those questions, but instead, you choose to attack and promise to 'destroy' him and others.
In fairness, Biberaj may have been on her third box of wine when tweeting this. (She is known for that kind of thing.)
You were able to hold hostage my budget, my hiring and space needs and success blocked my office at every turn. You no longer have that power. As an elected official, you are reminded that you work for us - the residents of LoCo. And you will not be rehired.
— Buta Biberaj (@BBiberaj88205) March 7, 2024
The irony of Biberaj claiming the public officials work for her, as a private citizen, is off the charts. The same woman who tried to jail a father for demanding the same accountability from elected officials.
Regardless of Biberaj's rantings though, Minock has raised enough questions that Twitter had some ideas about who destroyed the photos.
It’s starting to look like Buta Biberaj, the Soros-backed Commonwealth’s Attorney of Loudon County, deliberately destroyed 200 years of county history on her way out of office—an act so spiteful and childish it boggles the mind. https://t.co/M2w573qFep pic.twitter.com/7D85wqeKX5
— Lafayette Lee (@Partisan_O) March 6, 2024
If she did destroy them, yes, it is spiteful and childish, but it is worse than that. Erasing history is a hallmark of every Communist regime that has ever existed, from Stalin to Mao to Pol Pot. Not to mention every book that warns about the dangers of these types of regimes, from 1984 to Fahrenheit 451.
It is, in fact, a serious crime.
typical communist filth and their "Year Zero" destruction of history
— 3.6 roentgen dad. not great, not terrible (@nhmncndtn) March 6, 2024
These are the same people who take enormous joy in not just removing statues of American history but defacing and destroying them.
Who has been erasing history in Loudoun County, VA? https://t.co/odzkEoqoKe pic.twitter.com/bl9VxMVW5z
— I Know Where I Belong...In VA-10...Maybe. (@PACTstopcrt) March 6, 2024
Remember when Clinton aides removed all the 'W's from the computer keyboards in the White House on their way out?
— Chris Matthiesen (@c_matthiesen) March 5, 2024
Yeah, this is worse. Way worse. https://t.co/7WY0QsNn3i
The Clinton prank was just that. A prank. Juvenile, maybe. But ultimately harmless. (And, come on, it was kind of funny if we're being honest.) This, on the other hand, is the Marxist erasure of history.
Hey @ButaBiberaj did you do this while you were rage drinking your box of wine? https://t.co/jdpo7AV7w2
— Dr. Supreme Court Justice (@Troll_Troll4Fun) March 5, 2024
As we said, she loves her wine.
They were destroyed. There's no way this wasn't deliberate. Bob Anderson should send everyone involved up the river. https://t.co/3YUdLAize3
— The Virginia Project (@ProjectVirginia) March 6, 2024
Bob Anderson is the Commonwealth's Attorney who was elected in 2023, ousting Biberaj. He IS demanding answers. As was mentioned, if the destroyed photos are indeed the historical portraits in question, they are irreplaceable.
No one likes to involuntary leave a job, but the office is always greater than the occupant. Sad to hear this if true about @ButaBiberaj. #Virginia https://t.co/LcfU5kMz6R
— Tanveer Kathawalla (@tkathawalla) March 6, 2024
Except Biberaj never had any respect for the office. She used it to target political enemies, cover up for political allies, and release violent criminals.
If you control the past, you control the future. https://t.co/J3xPH51iUM
— Butters g/acc (@chimpvc) March 6, 2024
That's the Marxist theory alright. Gratefully, Virginia voters spoke up in 2023 and Biberaj is officially a part of the state's past. She should never again be part of its future.
there's a reason for our nickname pic.twitter.com/hhxewzE7iy
— GrogNerd 🇺🇸 (@robsillygeek) March 6, 2024
Hey, don't be too hard on yourselves. True, Loudoun County still has many problems to fix -- like most counties in Northern Virginia -- but at least you had the good sense to vote Biberaj out of office. That's a start.
Again, nothing has been conclusively proven yet, but all evidence points to some very bad behavior from the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office under Biberaj.
She could easily answer the questions about who wrote the order, which photos were destroyed, and where the portraits are if they weren't the ones destroyed.
The fact that she will not and likely never will is pretty revealing all by itself.
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