WASHINGTON — The Virginia Fraternal Order of Police is calling for the resignation of Democratic attorney general candidate Jay Jones following the emergence of disturbing text messages in which he expressed violent fantasies about the former state House speaker.
Jones’ troubling texts from 2022 surfaced late last week, yet he has remained a candidate with support from local Democrats.
The FOP stated in a letter to Jones on Monday, “Such conduct is unacceptable in our society and democracy, particularly from someone seeking to be the primary prosecutor in Virginia.”
“You, Jay Jones, lack the fitness for the role of Attorney General of Virginia. It is imperative that you take responsibility for your actions and withdraw from the AG race immediately.”
They emphasized, “The law enforcement community dedicates itself to fighting the kinds of violence you expressed toward a fellow citizen and his family.”
Jones initiated the shocking messages during a text exchange at 8 a.m. on August 8, 2022, directed at Republican Delegate Carrie Coyner. He had been a member of the Virginia House of Delegates from 2018 until January 2022.
Throughout their conversation, he vented his frustrations towards then-Republican House Speaker Todd Gilbert, even making grotesque comments regarding the impact on Gilbert’s family, as reported by National Review.
Initially, Jones did not apologize for his messages and accused conservative incumbent AG Jason Miyares of launching smears against him.
However, he later stated that he had reached out to Gilbert and his wife to express his regret for what he termed a “grave mistake.”
The Post has secured copies of Jones’ alarming texts.
One of the messages sent at 8 a.m. on August 8, 2022, stated, “Three people, two bullets. Gilbert, Hitler, and Pol Pot.”
Jones further elaborated, “Gilbert gets two bullets to the head. Spoiler: place Gilbert in the company of the two worst people you can think of and he receives both bullets every time.”
In his previous texts from 2022, he also complained about the “glowing tributes” being given to centrist Democrat Joe Johnson Jr., a former state legislator who had recently passed away.
Jones declared, “If they die before me, I will attend their funerals to desecrate their graves.”
“Let them end up soaked in something.”
Before these revelations, Jones had generally performed better than Miyares in polling, although the competition was tight.
Calls for Jones to step down have been issued by former President Trump and numerous prominent Republicans.
Nevertheless, top Democrats have largely maintained their support for Jones, including figures like Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.).
Gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger publicly condemned Jones’ messages but opted not to insist on his withdrawal from the race.
“Having learned of these comments, I confronted Jay about my disgust towards what he expressed in the texts,” Spanberger explained in a statement last week.
“I made it clear that he must fully acknowledge his words. As a candidate — and as the potential next governor of our state, I will continuously denounce violent rhetoric in our politics.”
