Democrats stand by nominee who called for assignations

 Federalist Wire:

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A bombshell revelation last week exposed a series of disturbing 2022 text messages from Jay Jones, the Democratic contender for Virginia’s attorney general, where he vividly imagined violence against the state’s former Republican House speaker. The Virginia Fraternal Order of Police swiftly condemned the messages, urging Jones to abandon his campaign right away amid the uproar.

The exchanges, sent on August 8, 2022, targeted then-Speaker Todd Gilbert and escalated into graphic fantasies of harm. According to reports from National Review and The Post, Jones vented his rage in a conversation with Republican Delegate Carrie Coyner, a period when he had recently left his own seat in the Virginia House of Delegates after serving from 2018 to early 2022.

One particularly chilling message read: “Three people, two bullets,” followed by “Gilbert, hitler, and pol pot.” He added, “Gilbert gets two bullets to the head,” and “Spoiler: put Gilbert in the crew with the two worst people you know and he receives both bullets every time.”

Jones’s tirade didn’t stop there; he also mused cruelly about Gilbert’s family suffering losses to shift the speaker’s stance.

The texts spilled over into bitterness about tributes to the late centrist Democrat Joe Johnson Jr., a former legislator who had passed away just days before. “If those guys die before me,” Jones wrote, “I will go to their funerals to piss on their graves. ‘Send them out awash in something.’” 

In a pointed letter dated Monday, the Virginia FOP laid into Jones’s behavior as utterly unacceptable for anyone vying to lead the state’s prosecutions. “This conduct has no place in our society or democracy, especially from an elected official who is running to be the top prosecutor in Virginia,” the group stated.

They declared outright: “You, Jay Jones, are unfit for the office of Attorney General of Virginia. It is time you hold yourself accountable for these actions and withdraw from the Attorney General race immediately.”

The union highlighted the irony, noting, “The men and women of law enforcement work tirelessly to combat the violence you wished on a fellow Virginian and his family.” Before the story broke, Jones had held a slight edge over his conservative challenger, the incumbent Jason Miyares, in key polls, making the timing all the more damaging.
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 The fallout has split along party lines. President Trump joined a chorus of prominent Republicans in demanding Jones step aside, but Virginia Democrats have mostly held firm. Senator Tim Kaine has kept his endorsement intact, while gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger voiced strong disapproval without pushing for his exit.

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Jones' statements are indefensible.  But the Democrats appear to be sticking with him.

See also:

Leading Senator caught in a controversy that’s causing chaos on Capitol Hill

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The Democratic Party’s hypocrisy is laid bare once again, and it’s a gut punch to anyone who values integrity in politics. Virginia Senator Tim Kaine is standing by Jay Jones, the Democratic nominee for state attorney general, despite Jones’ 2022 text messages that called for the assassination of then-state House Speaker Todd Gilbert (R).

Jones didn’t stop there—he fantasized about forcing Gilbert and his wife to watch their child die to change his views on politics.
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