(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Jay Jones, the Democrat trying to oust GOP Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, once fantasized about shooting the top Republican in the Virginia House of Delegates and even suggested that the leader’s child should die.
In August 2022, Jones made the disturbing remarks against Todd Gilbert—then Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates—in text messages and a phone call with GOP Delegate Carrie Coyner, the National Review reported on Friday.
Jones, who had resigned from the Virginia legislature just months earlier, said that he would shoot Gilbert in the hypothetical scenario that he was given two bullets and a choice between shooting two dictators or the Republican leader.
“Gilbert gets two bullets to the head,” Jones wrote, comparing Gilbert to Nazi Germany’s Adolf Hitler or Cambodia’s Pol Pot. “Spoiler: put Gilbert in the crew with the two worst people you know and he receives both bullets every time.”
The resurfaced text messages come as Jones battles Miyares in a tight race to become Virginia’s top law enforcement officer.
These text messages also fuel broader concerns about escalating leftist rhetoric against Republicans, coming less than a month after the murder of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk on Sept. 10 at Utah Valley University.
Coyner, shocked by Jones’s comments, explicitly expressed her disgust. Jones then phoned her directly. Instead of apologizing, Jones doubled down—this time, targeting Gilbert’s child.
According to sources cited by the National Review, Jones said the only way for Gilbert to change his policy views would be for Gilbert’s wife to watch her child die in her arms. This prompted Coyner to hang up the phone immediately.
In a follow-up text, Jones did not deny his remarks. Instead, he told Coyner: “Yes, I’ve told you this before. Only when people feel pain personally do they move on policy.”
Jones ignored repeated requests for comment from National Review, only responding after publishing the story.
“Like all people, I’ve sent text messages that I regret and I believe that violent rhetoric has no place in our politics. 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. This is a strategy that ensures Jason Miyares will continue to be accountable to Donald Trump, not the people of Virginia. This race is about whether Trump can control Virginia or Virginians control Virginia.”
