OAN Staff Blake Wolf
1:39 PM – Friday, October 17, 2025
Virginia Democrat Attorney General nominee Jay Jones sought to defend his past comments during a debate with GOP candidate Jason Miyares, revealing a text message thread in which he said then-Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert, a Republican, should receive “two bullets to the head.”
Jones and Miyares sparred in Thursday’s debate ahead of the November election, with incumbent Miyares slamming Jones over his controversial 2022 text messages that recently came to light.
The messages were first released this month by the National Review, in which Jones wrote, “Three people, two bullets.” He followed up with, “Gilbert, Hitler, and Pol Pot,” referencing then-Virginia GOP House Speaker Todd Gilbert while rhetorically speculating on which one he would prefer to kill if given the chance.
Jones continued, writing, “Spoiler … Put Gilbert in the crew with the two worst people you know and he receives both bullets every time.”
Meanwhile on Friday, Miyares utilized the recently viral public relations disaster to attack Jones’ moral compass and character during the debate, stating: “We have seen a window to who Jay Jones is and the way he thinks of people that disagree with him.”
“Abraham Lincoln said that character is what you do in the dark when no one is watching – but now we know what he was doing in the dark,” Miyares continued.
Soon after, Jones directly addressed the prior comments, stating, “Let me be very clear: I am ashamed, I am embarrassed, and I am sorry. I am sorry to Speaker Gilbert, I am sorry to his family, and I am sorry to every single Virginian.”
“Jason is going to make this race about my mistakes, but this race has always been about more,” he continued. “I was held accountable by my party and I deeply, deeply respect that.”
The Democratic AG nominee pivoted to criticizing President Donald Trump and the Republican Party, appearing to redirect attention away from his own controversies.
“What about when Donald Trump used incendiary language to incite a riot to try to overturn an election here in this country? What about when Winsome Sears used violent language about people who disagree with you and her on your extreme position on abortion? What about when John Reid shared Nazi porn? You haven’t said a word. I have taken accountability for my mistakes, it’s time you take accountability, too,” Jones said.
Miyares quickly shot back, directly attacking Jones’ character and credibility.
“Jay, if you were to apply to be a line prosecutor in not just in my office, but any attorney general office in the country, you would not pass a background check. And right now you may say that you are sorry, but look back at what happened. You had three years to say you’re sorry, Jay, and you didn’t. Three years to actually recognize what you did was horrific. You chose to stay silent,” Miyares, the GOP candidate, reminded Virginians — referencing Jones’ reckless driving conviction.
Jones was convicted of reckless driving in January 2022 after driving 116 miles per hour in a 70 mph zone on Interstate 64 in New Kent County. The offense, which typically carries a mandatory one-year jail sentence in Virginia, was addressed through a plea agreement. Under the terms of the deal, Jones was sentenced to 1,000 hours of community service, in addition to paying a $1,500 fine. However, only half of the community service hours — 500 — were reportedly completed for his own political action committee, Meet Our Moment.
Miyares also slammed Jones for fantasizing about violence against Gilbert’s children in the 2022 text exchange.
“I find it a little bit stunning that today you say one of the pillars of your public safety platform is protecting children. Were you protecting Jennifer’s children when you said you wanted to see them die in their mother’s arms?” Miyares asked Jones during the debate, referencing Gilbert’s wife.
“How can anybody who’s ever worked in any of the crimes against children, all of the areas of federal, state and local law department, how can they ever take you seriously to be the top prosecutor knowing that you view that children should die to advance a political agenda?” Miyares continued.
“It’s unconscionable, and if you were truly ‘sorry,’ you would not be running for this office. You disqualified yourself.”
Throughout the debate, Jones consistently deflected the focus away from his scandals, instead attempting to criticize Miyares for not standing up to President Trump.
“When Donald Trump fires workers, defunds our schools, and levies tariffs that destroy our regional economies, sends armed troops into cities, and defunds law enforcement, he has a willing cheerleader here in Jason Miyares who will not step up to sue,” Jones stated. “Where other attorneys general have fought to protect their state’s resources and values and institutions, Jason hasn’t done that.”
The Virginia Attorney General election is set for November 4th, as Miyares holds a 5-point lead, according to recent polling data from The Trafalgar Group.
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