Tim Kaine Stands with Jay Jones amid Violent Text Controversy

by Ben Whedon

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., on Wednesday insisted he still supported Virginia Attorney General candidate Jay Jones, despite an ongoing scandal over his alleged text messages fantasizing about the death of a political opponent.

“Jay has apologized. The statements that he made were indefensible, but I’ve known Jay Jones for 25 years, and I think those statements were not in character,” Kaine said, according to The Hill. “I wish other people in public life would sincerely apologize for stuff so, no, I still am a supporter.”

Jones allegedly made the texts to a Democratic state representative in regards to then-state House Speaker Todd Gilbert, saying he “gets two bullets to the head.”

The Virginia Fraternal Order of Police called on Jones to leave the attorney general race. Virginia FOP President Ray Clemons said Jones’ alleged text messages “has no place in our society or democracy, especially from an elected official who is running to be the top prosecutor in Virginia.”

Gov. Glenn Youngkin agreed with the fraternal police order. He called Jones “unfit for office.”

“The silence from his running mate Abigail Spanberger is deafening. Does she support his comments that a few police officers should die? Who are these people and how can they possibly ask Virginians to vote for them?” he said.

Spanberger issued a statement last week, according to CBS News, stating she spoke “frankly” with Jones and expressed her disgust to him about his alleged text messages.

“What I have also made clear is that as a candidate — and as the next governor of our commonwealth — I will always condemn threatening language in our politics,” Spanberger said.

Even though she has condemned the alleged text messages, she has not called on him to withdraw from the race.

Republicans besides Youngkin have also called on Jones to withdraw from the race, though he has thus far declined to do so.

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Ben Whedon is a reporter for Just the News. Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of The Star News Network and contributed to this story.
Photo “Jay Jones” by Jay Jones. Background Photo “Virginia Capitol” by Doug Kerr. CC BY-SA 2.0.