Trump calls out Virginia AG hopeful for past extreme messages

President Donald Trump on Sunday called on Virginia attorney general candidate Jay Jones to drop out of the race immediately. Jones, the Democratic nominee, previously sent private text messages fantasizing about shooting a Republican legislator and his family. The president said he endorsed Jones’ opponent, Republican incumbent Jason Miyares.

The messages, which Jones acknowledged sending to a Republican colleague in 2022, first surfaced on Friday afternoon in an exposé by the National Review. He wrote about shooting Todd Gilbert, who was Virginia’s Speaker of the House at the time. He also referred to the man’s children as little fascists and said he hoped they would die.

How did Jones respond? He told Virginia Scope that he regretted the messages, but did not initially apologize. On Friday night, Jones issued a second statement apologizing and saying that he took responsibility for his actions. He contacted Gilbert and his family directly to apologize, he said. Virginia needed leaders who would admit when they were wrong, he said.

How did Virginia Democrats respond to the report? Democratic Speaker of the House Don Scott urged Jones to apologize and reflect. After Jones issued his apology, the Virginia Beach Democratic Committee said it stood firmly behind him, although he had made mistakes in the past. Jones would defend democracy as attorney general, the committee said.

Democratic state Sens. Louise Lucas and Mamie Locke also urged support for Jones, saying that they condemned his words but that the stakes of the race were high and they wanted an attorney general who could stand up to Trump. Democratic gubernatorial nominee Abigail Spanberger said that she was disgusted with his comments and condemned violent rhetoric. She spoke with Jones and told him to take responsibility, she said.

Dig deeper: Read my report on the arrest of a Molotov cocktail-toting man outside a Washington cathedral.