In August 2022, Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones sent a troubling text to a former colleague expressing violent thoughts about a Republican lawmaker. He told Republican Rep. Carrie Coiner he would give former House Speaker Todd Gilbert “two bullets in his head” and even mentioned urinating on his grave. This was reported by National Review, which highlighted that Jones made these remarks while discussing Gilbert after leaving the Capitol a few months prior.

Jones expressed hostility toward Gilbert and talked about wanting to inflict pain on conservative legislators. He was quoted saying, “Put Gilbert in the crew and with the two worst people you know, he gets both bullets each time.” Coiner reacted by urging him to stop, indicating it bothered her to talk about causing harm to anyone. In response, Jones simply replied, “lol” and “OK, OK.”

Attempts to get comments from Jones’s campaign, Miyares’s office, and Gilbert went unanswered.

Following their text exchange, Jones made a phone call to Coiner to elaborate on his views, suggesting that pain could lead to policy changes. He controversially indicated that Gilbert’s wife should witness her child’s suffering as a way to prompt policy evolution. “Only when people feel pain personally, they move forward with policies,” he allegedly texted Coiner after their conversation.

Coiner later remarked, “What he said was not just an intrusion, but a disqualification for anyone who wanted to seek public office.” She expressed disgust at his comments about violence toward the families of his colleagues.

The Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA) called for Jones to withdraw from the upcoming election, stating that his messaging contributes to a dangerous atmosphere. Adam Piper, the group’s executive director, noted, “Conservatives are executed for their beliefs, and texting like this is part of the problem.”

Additionally, Jones has faced scrutiny over a separate incident involving a reckless driving offense where he appeared to shorten his community service obligations by using his own political action committee, raising questions about his accountability and judgment.

Jones had previously lost a Democratic primary for Attorney General in 2021 but won the 2025 primary earlier this year.