In a recent revelation that has sent shockwaves through Virginia’s political landscape, Jay Jones, the Democratic Party’s nominee for attorney general, expressed profound remorse for previously considering the killing of a Republican lawmaker.
During an interview with Tyler Englander from ABC 8News, Jones confronted the gravity of his earlier comments, which were both alarming and shocking.
Englander pressed, “Trust is foundational in politics. Pondering the fate of a child in distress is beyond horrific. How can Virginians find trust in someone who has uttered such callous rhetoric?”
Jones responded, “I am sincerely sorry for what I said. It was not my intention, and I sincerely wish I could take it back.”
For a deeper understanding, watch the interview clip below:
WATCH: 8 News questions Virginia Democrat AG candidate Jay Jones, who infamously suggested putting “two bullets to the head” of the GOP leader. “Trust is foundational in politics. How can Virginians… pic.twitter.com/zZh1NNtAhG
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) October 4, 2025
The initial report was made by National Review, which disclosed text messages from August 2022. In these exchanges, Jones relayed alarming thoughts of violence directed toward his political adversaries.
The messages surfaced in a context where bipartisan tributes were being paid to the late centrist legislator Joe Johnson Jr. within statehouse group discussions. Jones, who had recently departed from the state House, responded to Republican Delegate Carrie Coyner with disdain for Johnson’s legacy.
Mocking the accolades honoring Johnson, Jones deemed them excessive, declaring, “If those guys die before me, I will attend their funerals just to desecrate their graves,” and suggested he would “send them out awash in something.”
He even escalated his rhetoric by proposing that he would favor killing then-Speaker Todd Gilbert over historical figures like Adolf Hitler and Pol Pot, prompting Coyner to implore him to cease.
Jay Jones has openly fantasized about murdering a man and two children, yet Abigail Spanberger refuses to demand he withdraw from the race. pic.twitter.com/8CAjNqqWBI
— Winsome Earle-Sears (@winwithwinsome) October 3, 2025
In a troubling follow-up discussion with Coyner, Jones insisted that politicians should experience pain akin to that of grieving parents who lose children. He reprehensibly expressed a wish for Gilbert’s wife to endure such a tragedy to prompt Gilbert to adopt a more progressive stance. Clearly disturbed by his remarks, Coyner concluded the call.
After National Review’s exposé, Jones countered allegations against him, claiming that his Republican opponent, Attorney General Jason Miyares, was engaging in a “smear campaign orchestrated by Trump-aligned media.”
