Vance Critiques Jones Over Controversial Messages
Vice President J.D. Vance expressed his view that the violent text messages linked to Jay Jones, a candidate for Virginia’s Democratic attorney general, are “much worse” than the recent leaked chats involving young Republicans, which included disturbing jokes about gas chambers, slavery, and sexual assault.
“What was said in the college group chat is far less concerning compared to this, especially considering the individual in question could potentially be Virginia’s AG,” Vance stated in a post on X.
Alongside his comments, Vance shared a screenshot of a conversation where Jones allegedly indicated a desire for the former Republican House speaker’s children to die. “Yes, I’ve said this before,” Jones purportedly wrote. “You only push policies if people feel the pain personally.”
Vance remarked that as long as Jones continues his campaign, he won’t feign outrage regarding the young Republicans’ problematic comments.
“I refuse to engage in exaggerated indignation when those in power advocate for political violence,” he said.
According to a report, this year 2,900 pages of messages exchanged between various leaders of the Young Republican National Federation were revealed.
The messages contained offensive language, including racist and homophobic slurs, derogatory remarks about Black people, and extreme comments about political opponents. In one message, an individual reportedly stated, “Great. I love Hitler.”
The messages, which were uncovered by Politico, dated back over seven months and involved young Republican leaders from multiple states like New York, Kansas, Arizona, and Vermont.
The Young Republican National Federation condemned the remarks, calling for immediate resignations from all members involved. “We are appalled by the vile and inexcusable language exposed in the Politico article. Such behavior is unacceptable and contrary to the values our movement upholds,” the federation’s board stated in a release.
They emphasized the necessity of maintaining high standards of integrity and professionalism within their ranks.
Despite calls from some Republicans for him to step down, Jones, who is set to debate Republican candidate Jason Miyares on Thursday, has issued an apology yet remains in the race. The state’s top Democratic leaders have not requested his withdrawal.
