Hakeem Jeffries Defends Jay Jones After Texts About Shooting GOP Leader
Speaking with reporters on Capitol Hill, Jeffries said the apology from Jay Jones is sufficient. “The attorney general candidate has appropriately apologized for his remarks, and I know his remarks have been condemned across the board by Democrats in the commonwealth [of] Virginia and beyond,” Jeffries said. “And that’s the right thing to do.”
What exactly did Virginia’s Democratic attorney general candidate Jay Jones do that required this “appropriate” apology? He sent text messages fantasizing about executing a Republican lawmaker with “two bullets to the head.” Jones texted Republican Delegate Carrie Coyner in 2022, describing a scenario where he would choose to kill then-House Speaker Todd Gilbert over Adolf Hitler and Pol Pot. “Three people, two bullets,” Jones wrote. “Gilbert, Hitler, and Pol Pot. Gilbert gets two bullets to the head.”
This man compared a Republican colleague to history’s worst mass murderers—and decided the Republican was worse.
But Jones didn’t stop there. He doubled down, adding: “Spoiler: put Gilbert in the crew with the two worst people you know and he receives both bullets every time.” Even more disturbing, Jones expressed hope that Gilbert’s children would die, suggesting that such grief might be “a good thing” if it advanced his political agenda. He thought dead children might help his cause.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ response to these violent fantasies amounts to little more than a pat on the head. An apology is “sufficient,” he says, as if wishing death upon a political opponent and his children is merely a minor faux pas. (What exactly would be insufficient in Jeffries’ world? Actually carrying out the threat?) This is the same Democratic Party that demands Republicans resign over decades-old yearbook photos or off-color jokes.
The cowardice extends beyond Jeffries. When pressed during her own debate last week, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger repeatedly refused to withdraw her endorsement of Jones. She deflected, claiming voters should “make their own individual decision” while insisting she was only accountable for her own words and actions. Apparently, endorsing someone who fantasizes about murdering Republicans doesn’t count as an action worthy of accountability. Interesting moral gymnastics there.
Jones’ violent rhetoric isn’t his only disqualifying behavior. He has a reckless driving conviction and allegedly attempted to skirt court-ordered community service requirements. During Thursday night’s debate, Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares pointed out that Jones couldn’t pass a background check to work as a prosecutor in any attorney general’s office in the country.
Think about that for a moment. Democrats want to elect as Virginia’s top law enforcement official a man who can’t meet the basic standards required of entry-level prosecutors. When confronted about his judgment during the debate, Jones offered no clear answer, instead invoking Donald Trump’s name nearly fifty times in a desperate attempt to deflect from his own moral failures. (Apparently, Trump Derangement Syndrome is now a legal defense strategy.)
But because Jay Jones has a “D” next to his name, apparently fantasizing about executing Republicans is just another minor scandal to memory-hole. Virginia voters deserve better than a potential attorney general who sees political violence as acceptable discourse.
What exactly did Virginia’s Democratic attorney general candidate Jay Jones do that required this “appropriate” apology? He sent text messages fantasizing about executing a Republican lawmaker with “two bullets to the head.” Jones texted Republican Delegate Carrie Coyner in 2022, describing a scenario where he would choose to kill then-House Speaker Todd Gilbert over Adolf Hitler and Pol Pot. “Three people, two bullets,” Jones wrote. “Gilbert, Hitler, and Pol Pot. Gilbert gets two bullets to the head.”
This man compared a Republican colleague to history’s worst mass murderers—and decided the Republican was worse.
But Jones didn’t stop there. He doubled down, adding: “Spoiler: put Gilbert in the crew with the two worst people you know and he receives both bullets every time.” Even more disturbing, Jones expressed hope that Gilbert’s children would die, suggesting that such grief might be “a good thing” if it advanced his political agenda. He thought dead children might help his cause.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ response to these violent fantasies amounts to little more than a pat on the head. An apology is “sufficient,” he says, as if wishing death upon a political opponent and his children is merely a minor faux pas. (What exactly would be insufficient in Jeffries’ world? Actually carrying out the threat?) This is the same Democratic Party that demands Republicans resign over decades-old yearbook photos or off-color jokes.
The cowardice extends beyond Jeffries. When pressed during her own debate last week, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger repeatedly refused to withdraw her endorsement of Jones. She deflected, claiming voters should “make their own individual decision” while insisting she was only accountable for her own words and actions. Apparently, endorsing someone who fantasizes about murdering Republicans doesn’t count as an action worthy of accountability. Interesting moral gymnastics there.
Jones’ violent rhetoric isn’t his only disqualifying behavior. He has a reckless driving conviction and allegedly attempted to skirt court-ordered community service requirements. During Thursday night’s debate, Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares pointed out that Jones couldn’t pass a background check to work as a prosecutor in any attorney general’s office in the country.
Think about that for a moment. Democrats want to elect as Virginia’s top law enforcement official a man who can’t meet the basic standards required of entry-level prosecutors. When confronted about his judgment during the debate, Jones offered no clear answer, instead invoking Donald Trump’s name nearly fifty times in a desperate attempt to deflect from his own moral failures. (Apparently, Trump Derangement Syndrome is now a legal defense strategy.)
But because Jay Jones has a “D” next to his name, apparently fantasizing about executing Republicans is just another minor scandal to memory-hole. Virginia voters deserve better than a potential attorney general who sees political violence as acceptable discourse.
70-79, M
