Moms Demand Action bills itself as a “grassroots movement of Americans fighting for public safety measures that can protect people from gun violence.” The nonprofit’s website notes that former Monsanto communications executive Shannon Watts started Moms Demand Action the “day after the Sandy Hook Tragedy in 2012… with the message that all Americans can and should do more to reduce guns violence.”
But Shannon and her gun-control organization have been curiously quiet about leftist Virginia attorney general candidate and former commonwealth delegate Jay Jones, who reportedly was fond of fantasizing about putting “two bullets” in the head of a Republican politician he loathed.
As of Monday evening, Jones proudly included Moms Demand Action’s logo — including the leftist group’s coveted Gun Sense Candidate seal of approval — on his AG campaign page. Moms says its Gun Sense Candidate program “is meant to signal to our ten million supporters, volunteers, and gun safety voters across the country that, if elected, a candidate will govern with gun safety in mind.”
I wonder if Jones had gun safety in mind when he wrote in 2022 of then-state House Speaker Todd Gilbert, a Republican, that if Jones were given the choice to kill three people with two bullets — Adolf Hitler, Cambodian dictator Pol Pot, or Gilbert, the longtime Virginia House member would get “two bullets to the head.”
“Spoiler: put Gilbert in the crew with the two worst people you know and he receives both bullets every time,” the Democrat declared in text messages to Del. Carrie Coyner, a Republican. The violent messages were first reported by National Review.
In a related phone conversation with Coyner, Jones reportedly suggested that “he wished Gilbert’s wife could watch her own child die in her arms so that Gilbert might reconsider his political views.” Sounds a lot like the “Hey, Fascist! Catch!” crowd in the political assassination left.
‘There’s Been No Reconsideration’
Just how Moms Demand Action, formerly known as One Million Moms for Gun Control, feels about Jones’ reveling in gun violence isn’t clear. Officials from the organization did not return The Federalist’s request for comment. Neither did most of the liberal groups, a dozen in all, contacted Monday, that appear to remain steadfast in their support for the hate-filled attorney general candidate.
The Federalist asked each of the Jones endorsers this:
Does your organization continue to endorse Virginia Democrat Attorney General candidate and former Del. Jay Jones in the wake of reported messages that show he fantasized about assassinating then-state House Speaker Todd Gilbert, a Republican, and wished Gilbert’s children would be murdered? What do you think of Mr. Jones’ comments? Does [your organization] still believe Mr. Jones is the right candidate for attorney general?
They must. It doesn’t appear that the 40-plus unions, abortion lobbyists, and other left-wing advocacy groups Jones claims as endorsers on his campaign page have backed away. They were all still there as of Monday night.
Black Men Vote PAC, committed to “amplifying the voices” in politics, remained silent to The Federalists requests for comment on Jones.
Planned Parenthood Advocates and Roe Your Vote Virginia, Jones backers and no slackers when it comes to killing, didn’t answer email requests for comment. Nor did Jones’ big labor pals, SEIU Virginia and the AFL-CIO, whose headquarters is on Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, D.C. And mum was the word from the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), although the union’s continued support for Jones may not be surprising. After all, plenty of members of academia have been caught rejoicing in the cold-blooded murder of conservative icon Charlie Kirk.
The only Jones endorser that had the cojones to respond was LGBT + Democrats of Virginia.
“LGBT+ Democrats of Virginia have endorsed Jay Jones for Attorney General. There’s been no reconsideration of his endorsement,” wrote Joel McDonald, chairman (He/Him) of the group, in an email to The Federalist. If we’ve learned anything over the past few years in this country, it’s that the trans movement has turned increasingly violent and deadly. So perhaps Jones’ threatening rhetoric is right at home.
Then again, maybe Jones’ little-too-late, CYA mea culpa was enough to placate his leftist friends, including the gun-control zealots who will tell you that “Virginia voters have made it clear that they want leaders who will tackle gun violence in the state.” Jones is “embarrassed, ashamed, and sorry.” The kind of things slimy politicians say after they’ve been caught doing something embarrassing and shameful.”
His second attempt at sorry sounded more sincere than his first try. Back then — a few days ago — it was all Donald Trump’s fault.
“Like all people, I’ve sent text messages that I regret and I believe that violent rhetoric has no place in our politics,” he said late last week after the story published. “Let’s be clear about what is happening in the Attorney General race right now: Jason Miyares [Virginia’s incumbent Republican AG] is dropping smears through Trump-controlled media organizations to assault my character and rescue his desperate campaign. This is a strategy that ensures Jason Miyares will continue to be accountable to Donald Trump, not the people of Virginia. This race is about whether Trump can control Virginia or Virginians control Virginia.”
What’s clear is the leftist groups and politicians who have rallied around the Democrat attorney general candidate aren’t invested in living up to their principles — if they have any. They have much too much money and political stock invested in Jones to regard his vile comments as anything other than a speed bump on their way to power. Intemperate texts from 2022 (or simply “2022 text messages” as the clown show Washington Post benignly put it) mean nothing to a Democrat Party that has turned the leadership keys over to its violence-preaching, radical wing.
They’re Hillary Clinton, standing by their man. But this time, the scandal isn’t sex. It’s violence. And there’s enough violence on the left to choke a donkey.
Members of the cancel culture left, like Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, have no intention of canceling one of their own, no matter how repulsive his comments.
“The comments are completely indefensible. I’ve known Jay Jones for 25 years, and those comments are very much out of character for him. So if I put the comments, which are clearly beyond the pale, against knowing this guy for 25 years, I’m still supporting Jay Jones,” Kaine told CNN’s Manu Raju.