‘People Make Mistakes’: Pritzker Defends Democrat Candidate Who Fantasized About Republican’s Kids Dying

Democratic Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker on Fox News Thursday defended Democrat Virginia attorney general nominee Jay Jones who in recently leaked old text messages appeared to fantasize about the deaths of a Republican opponent’s children.

Jones allegedly made violent remarks about then-Republican state House Speaker Todd Gilbert and Gilbert’s family in a 2022 exchange with Republican House Delegate Carrie Coyner, according to National Review. Appearing on “Special Report with Bret Baier,” Pritzker said the candidate had already apologized and deserved forgiveness.

“I think the text that I think everybody points to, he’s [Jones has] apologized about that. People make mistakes. They do. It’s one thing if someone’s doing it repeatedly, right?” Pritzker told Bret Baier. “If you’re making comments repeatedly that are like that, no doubt, that was an offensive thing to write.”

Pritzker acknowledged donating $20,000 to Jones’ campaign before the texts surfaced, but insisted the contribution didn’t change his position. (RELATED: Democrat AG Candidate Reportedly Said He’d Put Two Bullets In Republican State Rep’s Head, ‘Piss On’ His Grave)

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“I mean, that was before anybody saw the text, but it doesn’t matter. The point is, if he wasn’t apologizing about it, if he didn’t feel bad, and if he hadn’t stood up and said, ‘This is not how I really feel.’ I think everybody says, you know, things along the way, particularly in politics, you know, when you’re getting attacked that you probably shouldn’t have said,” Pritzker said.

During the text exchange, Coyner urged Jones to stop making violent remarks, telling him it “really bothers me when you talk about hurting people or wishing death on them.” Jones reportedly brushed off her warning with a “Lol” and “Ok, ok.”

“You were talking about hopping [sic] jennifer Gilbert’s children would die,” Coyner wrote in a message to Jones during the exchange, referring to the Republican House Speaker’s wife.

“Yes, I’ve told you this before. Only when people feel pain personally do they move on policy,” Jones replied. “I mean do I think Todd and Jennifer are evil? And that they’re breeding little fascists? Yes.”

President Donald Trump slammed Jones on Truth Social after reports of the text messages surfaced.

“It has just come out that the Radical Left Lunatic, Jay Jones, who is running against Jason Miyares, the GREAT Attorney General in Virginia, made SICK and DEMENTED jokes,” Trump wrote.”If they were jokes at all, which were not funny, and that he wrote down and sent around to people, concerning the murdering of a Republican Legislator, his wife, and their children.”

Jones is also facing a separate investigation into whether he misrepresented his community service hours tied to a reckless driving conviction, National Review reported Wednesday. Jones was convicted of reckless driving in 2022 after being caught driving 116 mph in a 70 mph zone and later claimed to have completed his 1,000 hours of court-ordered community service through his own political action committee and the NAACP Virginia State Conference.

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