Rep. Ben Cline, R-Va. (Getty Images)
"I am just trying to help VMI," Carroll-Foy – also a VMI graduate – told the board member.
"Cedric is African American. The leadership of the General Assembly is African American. Your board appointments and budget amendments are in peril. You can fix this by giving Cedric a four-year contract extension," she said.
Virginia House Speaker Don Scott, D-Portsmouth, and Senate Leader L. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, are both Black.
The exchange troubled Cline, who said in his letter that "these actions, specifically the direct threats made by [Carroll-Foy] are unbecoming, inappropriate, and ethically questionable."
"These race-related comments – totally unbecoming of a member of the General Assembly and completely inconsistent with the values of our nation – make plain the leadership in the General Assembly is attempting to exert undue influence on the decisions of the board in exchange for funding priorities of VMI," Cline wrote in-part in the letter obtained by Fox News Digital.
A source familiar with the situation told Fox News Digital there are other lawmakers besides Carroll-Foy who have connected race or DEI considerations to the contract debate.
A statement from Cline’s office said that the congressman – and former member of the Richmond legislature himself – believes that attempts to "strong-arm members of the VMI board by withholding funding . . . reveal a clear and troubling effort to exert undue influence over VMI’s governance."
DOJ ONCE OK'D KAINE-ERA LAW AT CENTER OF YOUNGKIN VOTE CULLING ORDER FEDS NOW SUING TO BLOCK
Richmond, Va. and the Virginia State Capitol (Getty)
"The governor appointed experienced and strong members to the board of visitors, all deeply committed to VMI and its mission," spokesman Christian Martinez said.
"He has full confidence the board will act in the best interest of [VMI] and the Commonwealth."
Two of Youngkin’s 12 VMI appointees were recently removed by state Senate Democrats, the Times-Dispatch reported.
Fox News Digital also reached out to Carroll-Foy and a representative for VMI.
VMI is the oldest state military institution in the country, founded in 1839.
Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson notably taught at VMI in the lead-up to the Civil War.
More recent famous VMI alumni include the late actor Fred Willard, World War II figures George Marshall and Gen. George Patton, award-winning comic Mel Brooks and Col. Douglas Macgregor – a veteran of the historic Battle of 73 Easting and an occasional Fox News guest.
Charles Creitz is a reporter for Fox News Digital.
He joined Fox News in 2013 as a writer and production assistant.
Charles covers media, politics and culture for Fox News Digital.
Charles is a Pennsylvania native and graduated from Temple University with a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism. Story tips can be sent to charles.creitz@fox.com.
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