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WASHINGTON — Democrats are shamelessly standing by the party’s scandal-scarred Attorney General nominee for Virginia, Jay Jones, after vile texts surfaced of him fantasizing about then-Republican state House Speaker Todd Gilbert being assassinated.
Virginia Beach Dems insist Jones will serve with “integrity and accountability,” and gubernatorial nominee Abigail Spanberger has refused to disavow him — despite sickening text messages where Jones fantasized about Gilbert getting “two bullets to the head” and called his young children “little fascists.”
“Recent press may have spotlighted past mistakes,” Virginia Beach Democrats declared in a statement. “We say, let those without sin cast the first stone.”
“Jay Jones has taken responsibility, apologized, and shown he is committed to serving with integrity and accountability that his public record already shows. Virginians deserve a leader who learns, grows, and stands for everyday people—and Jay is that leader.”
Jones has been in a nail-biter race against conservative incumbent AG Jason Miyares, according to most polling.
On Friday, the National Review published a bombshell story about a multitude of disturbing messages Jones sent back in 2022
“Three people, two bullets,” one of the vile texts sent at 8 a.m. on Aug. 8, 2022, subsequently obtained by The Post, read. “Gilbert, hitler, and pol pot.”
“Gilbert gets two bullets to the head,” Jones continued, “Spoiler: put Gilbert in the crew with the two worst people you know and he receives both bullets every time.”
The texts, first reported by National Review on Friday, were sent by Jones at around 8 a.m., on Aug. 8, 2022, to Republican House Delegate Carrie Coyner, who was clearly troubled by the messages.
Republican House Delegate Carrie Coyner, who was on the receiving end of those messages, wrote back, “Jay. Please stop.”
Jones was previously a member of the Virginia House of Delegates, having served from 2018 through January 2022.
“It really bothers me when you talk about hurting people or wishing death on them,” she continued.
Jones had begun the text exchange, whining about the “glowing tributes” from Republicans that centrist Democrat Joe Johnson Jr. — a former state legislator who died days earlier — was receiving.
“If those guys die before me,” Jones declared, “I will go to their funerals to piss on their graves.
“Send them out awash in something.”
Jones then further dug in and held a call with Coyner, cruelly fantasizing that the former state House Speaker’s wife could watch her children die, to change Gilbert’s views, the National Review reported.
“You weren’t trying to understand,” Coyner texted back after reportedly hanging up. “You were talking about hopping [sic] jennifer Gilbert’s children would die.”
Jones fired back: “Yes, I’ve told you this before. Only when people feel pain personally do they move on policy.
“I mean do I think Todd and Jennifer are evil? And that they’re breeding little fascists? Yes,” Jones went on.
Initially, Jones refused to apologize for his disturbing text messages and blasted his rival Miyares for “dropping smears” against him.
Then he claimed to have contacted Gilbert and his wife to apologize for his “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,” Jones said in a subsequent statement.
Many other top Democrats in Virginia have refrained from calling on Jones to exit the race. His vile text messages surface as conservatives continue to reel from the assassination of Charlie Kirk and the country grapples with rising political violence.
Spanberger denounced Jones’ text messages but declined to call on him to drop out of the race.
“After learning of these comments earlier today, I spoke frankly with Jay about my disgust with what he had said and texted,” Spanberger said in a statement.
“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 the next Governor of our Commonwealth, I will always condemn violent language in our politics.”
