Several Virginia sheriffs and law enforcement leaders are demanding that Jerrauld ‘Jay’ Jones, a Democratic attorney general candidate, drop out of the race following the release of controversial texts that suggest he called for violence against opponents.
The Virginia Law Enforcement Sheriffs’ Association, representing 86 sheriffs across the state, issued a letter to Jones’ campaign, demanding he exit the race. Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., a former attorney general, criticized the Democratic party’s lack of response, calling the silence ‘staggering.’ Meanwhile, some Virginia Democrats have defended Jones, but others, like Sen. Mark Warner, have remained silent on the issue.
The controversy has sparked outrage within the law enforcement community. The Virginia Law Enforcement Sheriffs’ Association wrote a letter to Jones’ campaign headquarters in Williamsburg, Virginia, Wednesday demanding he bow out of the race after texts surfaced depicting him envisioning the murder of a former GOP leader. Sen. Schmitt, who previously served as the Show Me State’s attorney general, told Fox News Digital that it is unthinkable that many Democrats remain silent on the matter. He said, ‘Calling for the assassination of a rival — calling for the death of his children: I think hopefully all of us can agree that that’s beyond the bounds of what’s reasonable here and he ought to step down.’
While Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., did defend Jones’ candidacy to Fox News Digital, Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., ignored questions, along with Sens. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and Chris Coons, D-Del., as seen in a recent video. Schmitt’s tenure in Jefferson City, Missouri, was particularly litigious against the Biden administration, which he sued several times. The most notable of the cases was one alleging collusion between the feds and social media companies to censor content they disagreed with. Another suit sought to challenge bans on new oil and gas leases.
Back in Virginia, several sheriffs who lead the commonwealth’s association wrote to Jones demanding he leave the race. Grayson County, Virginia, Sheriff Richard Vaughn, the sheriffs’ association president, led off the letter, which said Jones’ statements are ‘disgusting’ and ‘unacceptable’ for someone seeking to be Virginia’s top law enforcement officer. The letter read, ‘Our association has seen the text messages in which you called for violence against a family to include his young children. Furthermore, it is alleged that you stated that if more police were killed it would reduce shootings of civilians.’
‘We will not follow an individual who has made such vile statements against citizens and the men and women in uniform who work hard every day risking their lives to combat the violence you advocate against them,’ they wrote. ‘Sir, you need to hold yourself accountable and immediately withdraw from the Attorney General race.’
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, the GOP candidate for re-election, followed the letter with more reactions he received from other law enforcement around the commonwealth. Smyth County, Virginia, Sheriff Chip Schuler joined the district prosecutor in the county seat of Marion to rip Jones. ‘The office of attorney general is not a political prize — it is the commonwealth’s highest legal authority,’ Schuler and Commonwealth’s Attorney Bucky Blevins said in a statement to Miyares’ campaign. ‘The Attorney General must embody discipline, restraint, and integrity. Every deputy sheriff and every prosecutor in this Commonwealth is held to that standard daily. Those seeking to lead us must meet, not evade, that same measure of accountability.’
‘For the good of the Commonwealth and the credibility of our justice system, we believe Mr. Jones should withdraw his candidacy,’ Blevins and Schuler concluded. Fox News Digital reached out to the Jones campaign for comment, but no response has been received yet.