Dems Endorse VA Candidate Who Fantasized About Assassination
The article reports that Jay Jones, the Democratic candidate for Virginia Attorney General, was found in 2022 text messages to have expressed violent and hateful fantasies about assassinating Republicans, including specific threats toward the children of Republican House Speaker Todd Gilbert. Despite the severity of these messages, Democratic leaders and committees in Virginia have continued to support Jones. While some, such as gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger and lieutenant gubernatorial candidate Ghazala Hashmi, have condemned his language and called for accountability, they have not withdrawn their endorsements. Local Democratic committees have publicly reaffirmed their backing of Jones, citing forgiveness for past mistakes.The article highlights the controversy surrounding Jones’s statements in the context of political violence discussions and contrasts Democratic responses to calls for resignations following past political conflicts.
The Democrat candidate for Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones fantasized about murdering Republicans in newly released text messages. Despite the egregious messages — Democrats are doubling down on their support for Jones.
In a 2022 exchange with Republican House Delegate Carrie Coyner, Jones said it would be a “good thing” if the children of his former colleague, Republican House Speaker Todd Gilbert, would die.
“Three people, two bullets. Gilbert, Hitler, and Pol Pot. Gilbert gets two bullets to the head. Spoiler: put Gilbert in the crew with the two worst people you know and he receives both bullets every time,” Jones said in a message. When pushed back by Coyner about whether Jones was “[hoping] Jennifer Gilbert’s children would die,” Jones confirmed that “Yes” he was.
“Only when people feel pain personally do they move on policy.”
Jones also called the Gilbert’s young children “little fascists.”
Nonetheless, Jones remains in the race. Notably, Jones is the same person who, in 2021, called for Norfolk, Virginia police lieutenant William Kelly to be fired for donating $25 to Kyle Rittenhouse’s legal defense fund. Jones said if Kelly did in fact donate to Rittenhouse’s fund, he must “resign … immediately.”
Despite the disturbing messages, Jones’s colleagues have doubled down on their support of him.
Gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger said she “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,” and that she would “always condemn violent language in our politics.”
Notably, Spanberger demanded Republicans call on President Donald Trump to resign for what she claims was his involvement in “inciting the insurrection” on Jan. 6.
“It would be preferable if many Republicans, and we’ve been asking for this and having conversations related to this, would call on [Trump] to resign as so many did with Richard Nixon after the Watergate scandal came to light,” Spanberger said.
Lieutenant gubernatorial candidate Ghazala Hashmi said “political violence has no place in our country and I condemn it at every turn” and that Jones “must take accountability.”
Meanwhile the Virginia Beach Democrats put out a statement that “reaffirms its full support of Jay Jones” despite “past mistakes.”
The Democratic Committees of Virginia’s Second Congressional District also doubled down on its “full support of Jay Jones.”
A letter signed on by the Accomack County Democratic Committee, Chesapeake Democratic Committee, Franklin Democratic Committee, Isle of Wight County Democratic Committee, Northampton County Democratic Committee, Southampton County Democratic Committee, Suffolk Democratic Committee, and Virginia Beach Democratic Committee says: “We say, let those without sin cast the first stone.”
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