MSNBC ‘Morning Joe’ panelist calls for Jay Jones to drop out over violent texts

A Panelist “Morning Joe” of the MSNBC called for the exit of the Democratic candidate of the Attorney General of Virginia, Jay Jones, after having released his text messages showing that he called to the shooting of a GOP legislator.

Co-animating Mika Brzezinski noted that the Republicans and Democrats criticized the messages and said they were “horrible”. She added: “I didn’t want to read them out loud.”

Jones has been criticized in recent days after a textual conversation of August 2022 between Jones and Virginia State del. Carrie Coyner, R-Check, resurfaced on Friday. In text messages, Jones have repeatedly wished the violent death of the Head of the Chamber of the State, Todd Gilbert. In another, Jones wondered if Gilbert and his wife “raised small fascists”. A source familiar with the situation told Fox News Digital that, on this subject, Jones and Coyner had a telephone conversation where he would have liked the death of Gilbert’s children.

“I would say, you know, not to be too much on the big horse. It is extremely inappropriate under any circumstance. Today, tomorrow, 10 years ago, six months ago, I think the pressure will be [Abigail] Spanberger at, and for the whole party, to ask this candidate to leave the race. Because both is the right thing. And also political splashes, you don’t want to play with it right now, “said Liberal Panelist John Heilemann.

From left to right, John Heilemann, Jay Jones and the host of MSNBC Mika Brzezinski. (Getty Images)

Brzezinksi added, “Who said that?”

“This guy should make everyone’s favor and get out of this race,” added Heilemann.

“Three people, two bullets. Gilbert, Hitler and Pol Pot. Gilbert obtains two bullets in the head,” Jones wrote in messages.

The Democratic Democratic candidate, Abigail Spanberger, condemned the messages, but she stopped calling her to end her campaign.

The candidate General of the Prosecutor General of Virginia, Jerrauld, “Jay” Jones speaks during an event in Norfolk, Virginia, June 17, 2025. (Trevor Metcalfe / The Virginian-Pilot / Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

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“I will always condemn a violent language in our policy,” said Spanberger, adding that she had spoken “frankly” with him after the texts surfaced.

The former Biden assistant, Neera Tanden, condemned Jones’ violent texts, but added that they were part of a “private conversation” during “Meet the Press” of NBC on Sunday.

“I absolutely think people should criticize this, 100%,” said Tanden. “I think it was a private conversation he had had, but still horrible and disgusting. It should be condemned.”

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She continued: “But then we should condemn this, but you should then condemn when the president called the Democratic Party the party of Satan.”

Jones apologized for the texts, saying in a statement that he was deeply ashamed of what he wrote.

Charles Creitz and Lindsay Kornick of Fox News contributed to this report.