RICHMOND, Va. β Virginia Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger appeared on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" ahead of her historic inauguration this Saturday, where she will become the state's first female governor.
During the interview, Spanberger shared a funny story about Virginia's gubernatorial title. When Colbert noted that Virginia governors are addressed as "Your Excellency," Spanberger recounted an event where an introducer was excited about soon saying "Her Excellency" for the first time in Virginia history.
"There was a brief lull in the crowd, and you could hear a woman in the back say, I'm not doing that. It was my sister. My middle sister, making her opinion known to my mother. So perhaps not at family holidays," Spanberger said.
The conversation turned serious when Colbert asked about potential clashes between federal and state governments over ICE agents and National Guard troops being deployed against state leaders' wishes.
"I began my career as a federal agent. I used to work narcotics and money laundering cases. I carried a gun every day. I worked on task forces with local, state and federal police and what I learned every single day in law enforcement is your ability to do your job is built on trust," Spanberger said.
She criticized current enforcement tactics, saying masked agents are "terrifying communities" and "breaking down that trust."
"It is actually impeding the ability to keep our community safe, to enforce the law. And as governor, I will ensure that we are a place where, yes, we uphold the law, but people know that if they are a victim of a crime, or if they are a witness of a crime, or if they are a community member, that they are in a place where there is trust that is being built and not degraded day in and day out by the tactics we're seeing," Spanberger said.
Spanberger will be sworn in as Virginia's 75th governor on Saturday. She previously represented the 7th District in Congress.
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