Virginia Republican representative Carrie Coiner recently claimed in an interview that Jay Jones, the Democratic candidate for Attorney General in Virginia, made violent comments regarding police officers during a 2020 call.
In a Monday interview, Coiner alleged that Jones suggested, in his 2020 conversation, that if a few officers were to die, it might prevent further killings. However, Jones has denied making that remark, according to reports.
The outlet sought clarification from Coiner about a portion of a 2022 text exchange where Jones stated, “I told you this.” Coiner mentioned that discussions about removing qualified immunity for police officers were intensely heated. She recounted her time on a court committee, bringing up a bill aimed at protecting officers from personal liability in the line of duty. She expressed concern that if such protections were removed, it could expose her family to severe risks, reinforcing her belief that lives would be endangered.
Moreover, Coiner shared Jones’s alleged words: “Well, if some of them die, they’ll go ahead, not shoot people and kill people.” Coiner found this statement outrageous. She argued that removing qualified immunity wouldn’t lead to better behavior from police but instead put both officers and the public in danger.
A spokesperson for Coiner affirmed that her comments were accurately represented in the report. While serving in the House, it’s noted that Jones co-sponsored legislation to eliminate police officers’ qualified immunity.
Coiner’s allegations also included that in August 2022, Jones sent her troubling text messages and had previously threatened former Republican House Speaker Todd Gilbert with violent rhetoric. The implications are that after a reckless driving incident, Jones linked his community service hours back to his political campaign.
In a recent statement, Jones expressed his regret over the messages directed at Gilbert, saying he takes “full responsibility.” He publicly apologized to Gilbert and his family, describing the experience as highly distressing for him.
Attempts to reach Jones for further comment went unanswered before the publication of this report.
