Image Credit: WRIC 
Jay Jones, the Democrat nominee for Virginia Attorney General, has apologized for text messages in which he fantasized about the murder of a prominent Republican.
While Jones had previously served in Virginia’s state legislature, he stepped down in 2021 before sending the messages to Republican House Delegate Carrie Coyner, who is currently seeking re-election.
The messages concern Republican former House Delegate Todd Gilbert, who was speaker of Virginia’s House of Delegates at the time.
In the text messages, Jones told Coyner, “Three people two bullets … Gilbert, hitler, and pol pot … Gilbert gets two bullets to the head.”
In one of the messages, Jones describes Gilbert’s children dying in the arms of their mother, Jennifer.
“Only when people feel pain personally do they move on policy,” he said.
After an enormous outcry about the messages, including calls from the President and Vice President for Jones to resign, he now says he will take “full responsibility” for what he said. He did not dispute the truth of the messages.
In a statement shared on Friday, Jones said: “Reading back those words made me sick to my stomach. I am embarrassed, ashamed, and sorry.
“I have reached out to Speaker Gilbert to apologize directly to him, his wife Jennifer, and their children. I cannot take back what I said; I can only take full accountability and offer my sincere apology.”
Gilbert, who stepped down from the legislature earlier this year, is not commenting on the text messages, according to a spokesperson for the Virginia House Republican caucus.
Democrat legislators have condemned the messages.
Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat who is running for governor of Virginia, promised to “always condemn violent language in our politics.”
“I spoke frankly with Jay about my disgust with what he had said and texted. I made clear to Jay that he must fully take responsibility for his words,” she added.
Ghazala Hashmi, a Democrat running for lieutenant governor, said: “Political violence has no place in our country and I condemn it at every turn.
“We must demand better of our leaders and of each other.”
