By rssfeeds-admin In the text messages, initially leaked by the National Review on Friday, Jones appeared to have written to Republican House Del. Carrie Coyner on Aug. 8, 2022, about a hypothetical scenario in which then-Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert (R-Shenandoah) would be shot.
The National Review shared the following text exchange on Oct. 3 in reference to the incident:
“Jones: Three people, two bullets
Gilbert, hitler, and pol pot
Gilbert gets two bullets to the head
Spoiler: put Gilbert in the crew with the worst two people you know and he receives both bullets every time
Coyner: Jay
Please stop
Jones: Lol
Ok,ok
Coyner: It really bothers me when you talk about hurting people or wishing death on them
It isn’t ok
No matter who they are”
On Friday afternoon, Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic nominee for governor, released the following statement on the matter:
“After learning of these comments earlier today, I spoke frankly with Jay about my disgust with what he had said and texted. I made clear to Jay that he must fully take responsibility for his words. What I have also made clear is that as a candidate — and as the next Governor of our Commonwealth, I will always condemn violent language in our politics.”
Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor of Virginia Ghazala Hashmi also spoke out, calling on people to “demand better of our leaders and of each other.”
“I have been very clear that political violence has no place in our country, and I condemn it at every turn. Jay must take accountability for the pain that his words have caused,” Hashmi wrote.
Meanwhile, current lieutenant governor and Republican candidate for governor Winsome Earle-Sears took to social media calling for Jones to drop out of the race, writing that he “can never be Attorney General of Virginia.”
“This is horrible to read and should be wholly disqualifying of someone running for an office that protects the people of Virginia,” Earle-Sears wrote Friday afternoon. “Jay Jones’ horrific comments are a symptom of the entire Democratic Party and his running mate, Abigail Spanberger, needs to call on him to drop out.”
Late Friday evening, Jones sat down with DC News Now’s sister station, WRIC ABC 8, to discuss the controversy in an exclusive interview, where he expressed regret and said he had reached out to Gilbert’s family to apologize. During the sit-down interview, Jones did not deny sending the texts.
“I sincerely, from the bottom of my heart, want to express my remorse and my regret for what happened and what I said— that language has no place in our discourse, and I am so remorseful for what happened,” said Jones.
However, criticism and condemnation have continued to pour in from Virginia leaders on the controversy, largely from Republicans.
Since releasing her initial statement, Earle-Sears has repeatedly slammed Jones on social media, even holding a press conference Saturday night to address the messages and Jones’s campaign.
Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares also held a Saturday press conference addressing the controversial messages sent by Jones, his opponent in the upcoming November election, referring to his conduct as “disqualifying.”
“Politics aside, just to speak to you as a human being, you have to be coming from an incredibly dark place to say what you said, not about a stranger, but about a colleague — someone that you have served with, someone that you have worked with,” Miyares said. “I’ve said that my role as attorney general is to be the people’s protector. One of my main jobs is to stop violence. I can’t imagine now that we’re even debating an opponent that has advocated for violence.”
Miyares also released a lengthy statement addressed to Virginians on the X platform Saturday night, claiming that the race for attorney general “was about competing views on public safety,” but is “now about basic fitness for public office.”
Speaking out about the matter Saturday morning, Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin had voiced a similar sentiment to Miyares and Earle-Sears, appealing to Virginia Democrats to call on Jones to “step away from his campaign in disgrace.”
“This violent, disgusting rhetoric targeted at an elected official and his children is beyond disqualifying,” Youngkin wrote. “Jay Jones said that “Gilbert gets two bullets to the head” and then hoped his children would die. Read those words again.”
Calls for Jones to drop out of the race have even reached the White House, with Vice President JD Vance referring to Jones as “deranged” in an X post Saturday.
“The Democrat candidate for AG in Virginia has been fantasizing about murdering his political opponents in private messages. I’m sure the people hyperventilating about sombrero memes will join me in calling for this very deranged person to drop out of the race,” said Vance.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) referred to the messages as “plainly disqualifying” for anyone who wishes to be in public office, expressing that “there is no conceivable justification for wishing violence against a political opponent and their children.”
“Mr. Jay Jones should immediately withdraw his candidacy, save himself and his party from further embarrassment, and take some time to reflect,” Johnson wrote Saturday afternoon on X.
Jones previously served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 2018 to 2022, representing Virginia’s 89th district. In November, Virginia voters will elect the state’s governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general.
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