Politics
NEW: Prominent Dem Candidate Fantasized About Murdering Political Opponent, Disturbing Messages Show
Jay Jones, the Democratic Party nominee for attorney general of Virginia, sent a series of disturbing text messages to a former colleague in which he suggested the state’s then-House Speaker Todd Gilbert should be shot and killed.
“If those guys die before me… I will go to their funerals to piss on their graves,” Jones, who served two terms in the Virginia House of Delegates, wrote in one of the 2022 messages to a former colleague.
“Three people, two bullets,” the nominee continued despite objections from the colleague. “Gilbert, hitler, and pol pot… Gilbert gets two bullets to the head,” Jones wrote, adding, “Spoiler: put Gilbert in the crew with the two worst people you know and he receives both bullets every time.”
The messages, which were first reported on by National Review, were sent by Jones at around 8 a.m., on August 8, 2022, to Republican House Delegate Carrie Coyner, who was clearly disturbed by the messages. “Jay,” Coyner shot back. “Please stop.”
“It really bothers me when you talk about hurting people or wishing death on them,” she added.
Jones is seeking to unseat incumbent Attorney General Jason Miyares, a Republican, in the closely watched Virginia race
Jones initiated the conversation after he accidentally text Coyner bemoaning the “glowing tributes” centrist Democrat Joe Johnson Jr., a former state legislator who died just days beforehand, was receiving from Republican legislators, including Gilbert.
Jones then called Coyner and doubled down on the violent rhetoric over the phone, the National Review reported. “You weren’t trying to understand,” Coyner wrote after she reportedly hung up the phone. “You were talking about hopping [sic] jennifer Gilbert’s children would die.”
The Democrat nominee was undistributed, responding with, “Yes, I’ve told you this before. Only when people feel pain personally do they move on policy.”
Jones then directed his violent rhetoric towards Gilbert’s children. “I mean do I think Todd and Jennifer are evil? And that they’re breeding little fascists? Yes,” he went on.
The disturbing messages were shared with the ‘National Review’
In a statement to the National Review, Coyner stated that Jones’ messages were “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. It’s disgusting and unbecoming of any public official,” she added.
In his first public statement on the scandal, Jones refused to apologize and instead accused his Republican opponent, incumbent Attorney General Jason Miyares, of “dropping smears” as the race heads down the final stretch. “Like all people, I’ve sent text messages that I regret and I believe that violent rhetoric has no place in our politics,” Jones said in a statement to the Virginia Scope.
“Let’s be clear about what is happening in the Attorney General race right now: Jason Miyares is dropping smears through Trump-controlled media organizations to assault my character and rescue his desperate campaign,” he added. “This is a strategy that ensures Jason Miyares will continue to be accountable to Donald Trump, not the people of Virginia.”
In a follow-up statement, Jones claimed that he has reached out to apologize to Gilbert and his wife, stating that he made a “grave mistake.”
“I take full responsibility for my actions, and I want to issue my deepest apology to Speaker Gilbert and his family. Reading back those words made me sick to my stomach. I am embarrassed, ashamed and sorry,” the Democrat nominee wrote.
“I have reached out to Speaker Gilbert to apologize directly to him, his wife Jennifer and their children. I cannot take back what I said; I can only take full accountability and offer my sincere apology,” he added.
