Crockett praises Democrats for keeping Jones despite murderous texts

Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, praised the Democratic Party on Sunday for not forcing Virginia Attorney General-elect Jay Jones to resign after his killer texts emerged during the campaign.

During an appearance “Roland Martin Unfiltered” Crockett argued that it was good that Democratic leaders did not force Jones to drop out of the race this year and said the scandal was nothing more than a “distraction.”

Crockett told host Roland Martin: “And I was thrilled to see that he managed to win. Not that I knew him – I’ve never met him, I’ve never talked to him – but it seems like people didn’t get caught up in the distractions.”

DEM SENATOR’S LARGE DONATION TO DISGRACED AG CANDIDATE’S CAMPAIGN CAME BACK TO KEEP HIM HAPPY

Jones, who won his race last Tuesday, sparked controversy ahead of Election Day when old texts were leaked predicting the killing of a state Republican lawmaker and her children.

In text messages sent by Jones in 2022, the politician joked about shooting former Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert in the head while also suggesting that Republicans’ young “fascist” children should also be harmed.

In the final weeks of the campaign, Republicans called on Jones to drop out of the race and demanded that Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger call on him to resign.

Spanberger condemned his comments but never called for the candidate to drop out of the race. Both went on to win their races.

‘TWO BULLETS’ SCANDAL OVER VIOLENT TEXTS JAY JONES EXPECTED TO DOMINATE VIRGINIA AG DEBATE

After winning the Democratic nomination for Virginia Attorney General, Jay Jones addresses his supporters as his wife, Mavis Jones, watches on June 17, 2025, in Norfolk, Virginia. (Trevor Metcalfe/The Virginian-Pilot/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Martin said if it had happened “10 years ago” the Democratic Party would have forced Jones to drop out of the race.

Crockett responded by saying there were people calling for his resignation and noted that despite his messages, electing Jones was more important than Republican candidate Jason Miyares winning.

“Listen, there were Democrats still talking about this. And my agreement, you name it, was to condemn what he did, but right now, do you trust that this Republican attorney general is going to stand up when the state legislature decides they need to fight fire with fire and give us more seats outside of Virginia to go to the U.S. House of Representatives because they’re trying to balance this power struggle that Trump is waging?” he asked.

“Or when it comes to Trump deciding that he’s not going to send appropriated dollars to the state of Virginia, do you think the Republican AG will be the one to sign on to get those dollars? No,” he continued.

“So at the end of the day, you have to put your mask on first,” Crockett added, noting that voters should hold their noses and vote for Democrats despite their shortcomings or controversies.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE NEWS ON MEDIA AND CULTURE

Attorney General-elect Jay Jones and Attorney General Jason Miyares argue at the University of Richmond, home of the Spiders, on October 16, 2025 in Richmond, Virginia. (Dispatch via Mike Kropf/Richmond Times-Pool)

The MP praised his party for avoiding the “purity test” and not disqualifying Jones.

“You can have all kinds of problems with it, but at the end of the day you have to make sure you’re looked after,” Crockett said.

The Texas Democrat has also been criticized for his rhetoric towards political rivals such as Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.

In response to a question in March about how Democrats could win elections, especially in Texas, Crockett said, “I think you throw punches, I think you throw punches, I think it’s okay to throw punches.”

“Ted Cruz,” he continued. “I mean, it’s like this guy needs a hard whack on the head, right? Like there’s no finesse with him, like nothing at all. Like you’re going to clean him up.”

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD FOX NEWS APPLICATION