Jay Jones
DemocratsElectionsPoliticsVirginia

Virginia AG Candidate’s Texts Fantasizing About Killing GOP Leader Spark Outrage

RNN Staff

Newly revealed text messages from Virginia attorney general candidate Jay Jones show him fantasizing about murdering a top Republican state leader and saying he would “piss on” the graves of other GOP lawmakers — remarks that have touched off condemnation across the political spectrum.

The messages, first obtained by National Review, include an exchange in which Jones tells another lawmaker he would use “two bullets to the head” on then-GOP House Speaker Todd Gilbert. “Three people, two bullets. Gilbert, Hitler and Pol Pot. Gilbert gets two bullets to the head,” Jones allegedly texted to Del. Carrie Coyner (R). “Spoiler: put Gilbert in the crew with the two worst people you know and he receives both bullets every time.”

Earlier messages reportedly show Jones saying he would attend the funerals of Republican lawmakers “to piss on their graves.” In a subsequent text, he appears to go further, writing, “I’ve told you this before. Only when people feel pain personally do they move on policy,” which critics said sounded like a wish for harm to Gilbert’s children.

Coyner’s campaign confirmed the texts’ authenticity and called them “disturbing and disqualifying for anyone who wants to seek public office.” A campaign spokesperson said, “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.”

Jones has not denied the texts but has sought to shift blame. He accused Republicans and “Trump-controlled media” of weaponizing the messages in his attorney general race against GOP incumbent Jason Miyares. “Like all people, I’ve sent text messages that I regret, and I believe that violent rhetoric has no place in our politics,” Jones told Fox News. He told NBC News he had reached out to Speaker Gilbert to apologize and said, “I am embarrassed, ashamed, and sorry. 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.”

Republican gubernatorial candidate Winsome Earle-Sears said the texts should disqualify Jones from office. “This is horrible to read and should be wholly disqualifying of someone running for an office that protects the people of Virginia,” she wrote on X, adding that Jones “can never be Attorney General of Virginia.” Earle-Sears also urged Jones’ running mate, Abigail Spanberger, to call on him to drop out.

The revelations come amid heightened sensitivity about political violence nationwide. Conservatives have pointed to a string of recent attacks — including the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk while speaking at a university, a targeted shooting at an ICE facility in Dallas, and other high-profile incidents — as evidence that rhetorical escalation can have deadly consequences. The article citing last month’s killing of Kirk and other incidents framed the texts against that recent backdrop of politically charged violence.

Jones’ defenders and some Democrats have pushed back against what they describe as a politicized response. Jones told Fox he was the target of a smear campaign intended to benefit his opponent, Jason Miyares, and argued the focus on his texts was part of an effort “to rescue his desperate campaign.”

Still, the texts — if accurately reported — represent unusually violent rhetoric from a candidate for a law-enforcement office and have prompted calls for accountability from Republicans and some Democrats alike. Coyner said the messages were exchanged on Aug. 8, 2022.

As the campaign unfolds, the controversy is likely to remain a flashpoint in Virginia politics, where debates over political rhetoric, public safety, and the boundaries of acceptable speech continue to fuel partisan conflict.

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