Candidates for attorney general were on stage together Thursday night for a debate in Richmond.
The texting scandal that has rocked Virginia politics was at the center of the debate between incumbent Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares and Democratic candidate Jay Jones. Whether the question was about crime or priorities in office, Miyares was on the attack.
"How can we trust Jay Jones to prosecute an MS-13 gang member knowing that he asked for an innocent Virginian to get two bullets to his head," Miyares asked. "How can Jay Jones ever be trusted to comfort a grieving mother who has lost a child to violence knowing that he hoped that a child as young as two years old would die in Jennifer's arms?"
Jennifer being Jennifer Gilbert, the wife of former Speaker Todd Gilbert. Jones took the opportunity to apologize, and then he went on the attack.
"I was held accountable by my party, and I deeply, deeply respect that. But what about when Donald Trump used incendiary language to incite a riot to try to overturn an election here in this country," Jones asked. "What about when Winsome Sears used violent language about people who disagree with you and her and your extreme position on abortion? What about when John Reid shared Nazi porn? You haven’t said a word.”
Reid has denied any involvement with the website sharing Nazi porn.
Candidates for attorney general are elected separately, which means a Democrat might win the race for governor and a Republican might win the race for attorney general, although it's been 20 years since that's happened.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
