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Jerrauld ‘Jay’ Jones is facing backlash after leaked 2022 texts showed him joking about shooting the GOP House Speaker and urinating on political opponents’ graves.
A photo of Jerrauld ‘Jay’ Jones (Credit: Instagram)
Democratic nominee for Virginia attorney general, Jerrauld ‘Jay’ Jones, has come under fire after some of the text messages he sent to a state lawmaker in 2022 were made public on Friday.
According to the screenshots of the text messages, as reviewed by The Washington Post, Jones described a hypothetical scenario of shooting the Republican speaker of the Virginia House.
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He also discussed urinating on the future graves of other political opponents, the report claimed.
The messages were first reported by National Review on Friday, and were sent by Jones on August 8, 2022, as other GOP delegates were eulogising a moderate Democratic lawmaker.
Jones, who had resigned from his House seat about eight months earlier, objected to the glowing tributes, the screenshots showed.
“If those guys die before me, I will go to their funerals to piss on their graves. Send them out awash in something,” Jones wrote to Republican House Del. Carrie Coyner, in a text thread that suggested his messages were initially intended for someone else, The Washington Post attributed the screenshots of the conversation.
Jones then mused about a scenario in which he had two bullets and could choose to fire them at Adolf Hitler, Pol Pot, the Cambodian dictator, or then-House Speaker Todd Gilbert (R).
Coyner’s office told WUSA9 they shared the texts with Gilbert. As for why they were releasing the texts publicly now, they said because the National Review had reached out for comment on them, WUSA9 reported.
“Three bullets, two people,” Jones allegedly texted Coyner.
“Gilbert, Hitler and Pol Pot,” the message read.
“Gilbert gets two bullets in the head,” Jones continued. “Spoiler: put Gilbert in the crew with the two worst people you know and he receives both bullets,” he mentioned in the text.
JAY JONES’ STATEMENT
WUSA9 quoted a statement by Jones, which read, “I take full responsibility for my actions, and I want to issue my deepest apology to Speaker Gilbert and his family.”
“Reading back those words made me sick to my stomach. I am embarrassed, ashamed, and sorry,” he said.
“I have reached out to Speaker Gilbert to apologise 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,” Jones said.
“Virginians deserve honest leaders who admit when they are wrong and own up to their mistakes. This was a grave mistake, and I will work every day to prove to the people of Virginia that I will fight for them as Attorney General,” he mentioned.
Jones is slated to face incumbent Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares in the November election.
WHO IS JAY JONES?
According to his official website, Jay Jones is a former Assistant Attorney General and lawmaker. He has two sons, who are running for Attorney General to fight for Virginia families and “stand up to Donald Trump’s dangerous agenda”.
He is a resident of Norfolk and is running for Attorney General to protect Virginia families from crime and violence, corporate price gouging, and “politicians with extreme agendas attacking our rights and Virginia workers“, the website mentions.
Jay previously served as an Assistant Attorney General in the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia, where he was a member of the Office of Consumer Protection. In this role, he took on the gun lobby to keep families safe from violent crime, sued corporate special interests to prevent higher grocery prices, and went after big banks and slumlords preying on consumers.
The descendant of slaves, Jay’s family has been in Norfolk since the early 20th century, per his website.
His grandfather, Hilary H Jones, Sr., was a pioneering Civil Rights attorney in Norfolk and became the first Black member of the Norfolk School Board. In 1969, he was appointed to the State Board of Education, the first Black person to be named to the board in the history of Virginia.
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About the Author
Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.
Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.
October 04, 2025, 10:01 IST
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