Jay Jones, the Democrats’ nominee for Virginia attorney general, has become a general travesty. Disqualified by his own words and actions, he keeps running while Democrats refuse to call him off. Apparently, they still think he deserves the office.
On Aug. 8, 2022, Jones, who had recently resigned from the Virginia House of Delegates after representing Norfolk, texted Republican state delegate Carrie Coyner about tributes to former legislator Joe Johnson Jr. One tribute came from then-Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert. Jones dismissed Johnson’s centrism and Gilbert’s praise with crude contempt. His texts quickly turned menacing.
Might Jones’ first prosecution be against himself? Doubtful. But how could he prosecute others for the same vile behavior he once celebrated?
Jones called Gilbert “that POS.” He wrote, “If those guys die before me, I will go to their funerals to piss on their graves.” He added that if he could shoot Hitler, Pol Pot, and Gilbert but had only two bullets, Gilbert would get “two bullets to the head” — “every time,” he said.
He accused Gilbert and his wife, Jennifer, of “breeding little fascists” and wished that Gilbert’s children would “die in their mother’s arms.” Coyner urged him to stop. He should have heeded her advice.
Half-hearted apologies
Jones has tried to apologize since his texts surfaced. At the time, he showed no hesitation or doubt about his vile remarks. For more than three years, he expressed no remorse until the prospect of consequences forced his hand — plenty of time to craft an apology and even longer to locate a conscience.
This episode isn’t Jones’ first disqualifying act. Coyner recalled Jones once saying that “if a few [policemen] died, that they would move on, not shooting people, not killing people.”
In January 2022, Jones was convicted of driving 116 mph — 46 mph over the limit. A court fined him $1,500 and ordered 1,000 hours of community service. He spent half of that time working for his own political action committee, Meet Our Moment.
The attorney general serves as Virginia’s top cop and prosecutor. According to the commonwealth’s website:
The Office of the Attorney General provides legal services to the Commonwealth’s agencies, boards, commissions, colleges and universities. They are the Commonwealth’s law firm, defending the interests of Virginians and Virginia government and also work with law enforcement throughout the Commonwealth to prepare for emerging public safety threats and to promote successful, secure communities.
Jones’ record conflicts directly with the job he seeks. Voters might ask how Jones can protect Virginians from crimes he’s committed himself? The statute of limitations on threats is one year for a misdemeanor. But Virginia has no statute of limitations on felonies.
Might his first prosecution be against himself? Doubtful. But how could he prosecute others for the same vile behavior he once celebrated — or those who endanger police officers, as he once suggested was necessary?
Unaccountable stupidity
A state legislator’s role differs sharply from that of the attorney general. A legislator’s foolishness, however damaging, remains limited to the district that elected him and can be tempered by the rest of the General Assembly. The attorney general, by contrast, represents all Virginians — including law enforcement and the entire state government. His mistakes ripple through every level of public service and civic life.
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Trevor Metcalfe/The Virginian-Pilot/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
Virginians pay the price
But Jones and his army of Virginia Democrats think otherwise. Their refusal to remove him from the ticket speaks volumes. It shows they believe, just as Jones does, that he’s entitled to be attorney general — a stance as damning as his own text messages.
Jones’ desire to be attorney general and his support from Democrats has outweighed his lack of objective qualifications for the job. Virginians should not have to bear the price of their vile partisan game.
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