Meghan Hayes Criticizes Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones Over Violent Texts

Meghan Hayes, previously a Biden administration official, expressed her disapproval of Democrat Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones on Monday due to violent messages he sent in 2022.

Hayes’ criticism followed comments from Carrie Coiner, Jones’ Republican opponent for the Virginia House of Representatives, who urged an end to his campaign over disturbing remarks he made about Todd Gilbert, the then House Speaker. During a segment on Fox News’ “American Report,” Hayes emphasized that Democrats who continue to support Jones are harming their party’s image.

“I never thought I’d find myself agreeing with Fox’s Karoline Leavitt or former President Trump, but Jones should not be running,” Hayes stated. “It’s really troubling. His behavior reflects poorly on the Democrats who fail to denounce it.”

She continued, “This isn’t something that most Democrats would endorse or support. I believe there’s a pressing need for a change here. I’m not from Virginia, but I suspect many are calling for him to withdraw.”

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger condemned the messages but hasn’t publicly asked Jones to step down. Meanwhile, Republican Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin criticized Jones, declaring his texts “beyond disqualification.”

After a segment featuring Youngkin’s statements, Hayes suggested that Spanberger should directly ask Jones to resign: “He should exit the race before we have to convince him to do so. It’s a matter of honor. He admitted he was wrong. I need leaders to recognize when they’ve crossed the line. This kind of rhetoric is just unacceptable.”

In a Sunday post on Truth Social, Donald Trump also called for Jones to “quickly” step aside.

One of Jones’ texts read, “Three, 2 bullets.” He referred to Gilbert alongside historical figures like Hitler and Pol Pot, adding, “Gilbert gets two bullets in his head,” according to reports.