Virginia's attorney general candidate, Jay Jones, is facing mounting calls to withdraw from the race due to an ongoing investigation related to a previous reckless driving conviction.
This comes on the heels of a scandal that rocked his campaign, involving leaked text messages from 2022 in which he expressed a death wish for a Republican lawmaker and his offspring.
In the controversial text messages, Jones painted a hypothetical scenario where he had only "two bullets" and was forced to choose between shooting then-House Speaker Todd Gilbert (R), Adolf Hitler, and Pol Pot. His choice was to shoot Gilbert twice.
He further referred to Gilbert and his wife as "breeding little fascists," a derogatory term aimed at their children, and wished them harm. Despite the severity of these messages, none of Jones' Democratic colleagues called for his withdrawal from the race.
"From murderous text messages to reckless driving at 116 mph to defrauding a court of law, Jay Jones belongs behind bars, if convicted of fraud, not as a member of the state bar let alone as Virginia's attorney general," the text read.
As reported by The Blaze, Jones' campaign was hit with another scandal on Wednesday, this time related to a 2022 reckless driving conviction for driving at a speed of 116 mph. Jones, a former Democratic delegate for Virginia, had been ordered by a court to pay a fine and serve 1,000 hours of community service. Reports suggest that Jones completed half of these hours with the NAACP and the other half at Meet Our Moment.
However, he allegedly failed to disclose to the court that Meet Our Moment was his own political action committee.
Scott Renick, the Commonwealth's attorney for New Kent County, was tasked with investigating the questions surrounding Jones' community service. However, Renick felt "it would be improper for him to act in the matter ... due to a potential conflict," according to court records obtained by Blaze News.
He suggested that the court assign special prosecutor Nathan Green to the case. Renick's office declined to provide any further comments on the matter.
WAVY-TV reported that Green also declined the appointment. He provided an order to Blaze News confirming his recusal from the case, stating that "it would be improper for him to act in the matter." Green did not provide any further explanation for his decision.
Jason Miyares, the incumbent Virginia attorney general and Jones' Republican rival, urged Jones to withdraw from the race "for the sake of public trust and common decency."
"Virginians deserve an Attorney General whose integrity is beyond question," Miyares stated. "Jay Jones had already disqualified himself with his violent text messages against political opponents and their children."
"It is not possible for Jay Jones to fulfill the duties of that office while under an open criminal investigation," Miyares continued. "If Jay Jones stays in the race, it shows a contempt for voters never seen in modern Virginia political history. Jay Jones has not taken accountability for his words or actions."
The Republican Attorneys General Association had previously called for Jones to withdraw from the race following the revelation of the text messages and reiterated their call on Thursday due to the ongoing investigation.
"Jay Jones has proven himself time and again to be unfit and unqualified to serve as Virginia's top prosecutor," RAGA executive director Adam Piper stated in a press release. "While 51% of Virginians have said Jay Jones should drop out, Democrats continue to put partisan identifiers above principle by allowing Jay Jones to remain on the ballot. He is a threat to the safety of all Virginians."
"Jay Jones has shown he lacks the character, integrity, and judicial temperament to be attorney general," Piper said. "From murderous text messages to reckless driving at 116 mph to defrauding a court of law, Jay Jones belongs behind bars, if convicted of fraud, not as a member of the state bar let alone as Virginia's attorney general."
Jones' campaign has yet to respond to requests for comment. The question remains: will he heed the calls to withdraw, or will he continue to fight for a position that many believe he is unfit to hold?
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