Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears speaks at a podium on Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, after texts from Democrat attorney general candidate Jay Jones surfaced. (Pool)
Texts obtained by Fox News Digital on Friday showed an August 2022 conversation involving Jones — then a recently departed delegate from Norfolk — referencing former Republican House Speaker Todd Gilbert, writing, "Three people, two bullets. Gilbert, Hitler and Pol Pot. Gilbert gets two bullets to the head."
In another message, Jones speculated whether Gilbert and his wife Jennifer were "breeding little fascists."
Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., speaks during an interview at her congressional offices in Washington, Feb. 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard, File)
In a statement released to the media, Jones said, "I take full responsibility for my actions, and I want to issue my deepest apology to Speaker Gilbert and his family."
"Reading back those words made me sick to my stomach. I am embarrassed, ashamed, and sorry. I have reached out to Speaker Gilbert to apologize directly to him, his wife Jennifer, and their children. I cannot take back what I said; I can only take full accountability and offer my sincere apology.
"Virginians deserve honest leaders who admit when they are wrong and own up to their mistakes. This was a grave mistake, and I will work every day to prove to the people of Virginia that I will fight for them as Attorney General," he added.
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Earle-Sears, Spanberger and Jones did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Fox News Digital's Charles Creitz contributed to this report.
Sophia Compton is a Writer at Fox News Digital. Sophia was previously a business reporter covering finance, energy and tourism and has experience as a TV news producer. She graduated with a journalism degree in 2021 from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/winsome-earle-sears-releases-ad-linking-abigail-spanberger-jay-jones-after-violent-texts-resurface