Democrat Virginia attorney general hopeful Jay Jones has been accused of harboring violent sentiments about political opponents and law enforcement officers alike.
The controversy was sparked after Jones was accused of joking about shooting and killing Todd Gilbert, who was serving as the Republican speaker of the Virginia State House at the time in question.
While some Democrats have criticized Jones' comments, they are refusing to demand his exit from the race.
This all got started on Friday when screenshots of Jones' texts about Gilbert were published. The only defense the Democrat has offered is that the comments were taken from a private conversation, but as we all know, nothing is truly private anymore.
The text had Jones suggesting that Gilbert “gets two bullets to the head.” As if that was not bad enough, he went on to say that he wished Gilbert’s children “died in their mother’s arms.”
Delegate Carrie Coyner (R-Chesterfield), explained, “On August 8, 2022, I had a text conversation with Jay Jones. What he said was not just disturbing but disqualifying for anyone who wants to seek public office. Jay Jones wished violence on the children of a colleague and joked about shooting Todd Gilbert.”
Coyner also revealed another conversation, in which Jones suggested that police officers needed to die in order to achieve desirable policy changes, a rather damning position for someone who is running to be state attorney general.
If he were a Republican, Jones would have been run out of town already, but Democrats are actually rallying around their candidate to keep him in the election.
For instance, Rep. Eugene Vindman (D-VA) doubled down on his support for Jones after the texts were revealed, posting, “It’s time for our Commonwealth to send a message that we’re tired of Republican chaos. VA, make a plan to vote -- early if you can -- for @SpanbergerForVA, @SenatorHashmi, @jonesjay, and Democrats up and down the ballot. Your voice couldn’t be more important this year.”
NRCC Spokesman Reilly Richardson blasted them both, stating, “A Virginia Democrat candidate wants children to die from gun violence and Eugene Vindman’s response is to double down on his support. Like Jones, Vindman is wholly unfit to serve Virginians in office.”
Republican Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares chimed in as well, stating, “My job as the attorney general, as the top prosecutor in the state of Virginia, your job is to stop violence. I can’t imagine somebody running for this office that has actually advocated for violence.”
Rather than blow Jones out of the water, mainstream media headlines, which are all anyone reads these days, were particularly soft.
For instance, the CNN headline outlining the story read, “Virginia’s Democratic nominee for attorney general facing pressure over resurfaced text messages.” Axios was even worse, posting, “GOP unveils 7-figure ad campaign on ‘two bullets’ text by Jay Jones,” with no explanation of the scenario to which the “two bullets” referred.
It has now also been reported that Jones was once clocked doing 116 mph in a 70-mph zone and had the case delayed numerous times, until he got nothing more than a fine and some community service, with Miyares stating, “Instead of taking accountability for his actions, it appears that my opponent submitted a letter to the Court stating that he performed 500 hours of ‘community service’ for his own PAC, which isn’t a charitable organization under state code, to dodge potential jail time.”
There is no apology Jones could make that is sufficient in this case. We are talking about a public official, literally the top law enforcement officer in the state, who has advocated for gun violence and exploited legal loopholes for his own benefit. If he were some random person, sure, take the apology and let him slink away. As a potential attorney general for the state of Virginia, everyone should be calling for him to abandon his nomination and drop out of the race. It’s utterly despicable that the party is still standing behind him.
