“I am horrified to hear about the death threat made against Delegate Kim Taylor — and I am relieved to hear that the suspect is now in custody. I am thinking of Delegate Taylor and her family, and I am grateful for our local law enforcement who worked swiftly on this case.”
That was Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger on X on Sept. 25, reacting to the arrest of Michael Ray Strawmyer, who sent a death threat via email to Virginia Republican Delegate Kim Taylor.
§ 18.2-60 of the Code of Virginia makes it a felony to “communicate… a threat in writing… such as an email, a text message, or a message or post on any social media platform, to another to kill or to do serious bodily injury to any other person and make… such threat with the intent to … influence the conduct or activities of a government, including the government of the United States, a state, or a locality, through intimidation…”
Why, that’s exactly what the Democratic Party’s nominee for Attorney General in the Commonwealth of Virginia Jay Jones did in 2022 when told a Republican lawmaker Delegate Carrie Coyner via text message he wished there’d be “two bullets” in the head of the Republican leader of the House of Delegates, Todd Gilbert, and then when she said to stop called her up to express his rationale, wishing that Gilbert’s children would die from gun violence so that more Republicans would oppose gun violence.
In Virginia, these appear to constitute potential illegal threats to kill a public official and perhaps in the case of Jones, to intimidate a sitting state legislator. Similar federal statutes also prohibit threatening and/or intimidating public officials and other acts of domestic terrorism.
But with a twist! If a common citizen, and not an elite Democratic politician, does this, it is prosecuted, but if the politician does it, it’s okay.
It is a double standard not only of law but all reason.
Politically, it is telling that not a single Democrat including Spanberger has called for Jones to step down.
And that’s in the entire country. Not one Democrat has called for Jones to depart the race. Not in Congress or anywhere else. Not one. When just two weeks ago, Spanberger said that anyone who issues death threats against Virginia House of Delegates members should be “in custody”.
This is the clown show world we live in when it comes to political violence in America. You just cannot make this stuff up.
And not a month after Charlie Kirk was tragically assassinated on Sept. 10 while leading a debate at Utah Valley University.
Then, Jones put out a now-meaningless statement on X decrying the murder: “I’m horrified to hear the news that Charlie Kirk was shot. This is a disturbing act of violence that has no place in our communities. No matter who you are or what you believe, we must protect the freedom to speak, debate, and disagree without fear.”
“[N]o place…” Right, except when power or peer pressure is on the line. Then violence has a place, and it is once again sending the most dangerous, radicalizing message possible to young people: Violence in pursuit of politics is justified. Heck, it’s rewarded, maybe you’ll even to get to be an Attorney General!
So much for the civil society. We only need it — sometimes.
Democrats impeached and attempted to remove President Donald Trump from office two weeks before he was about to leave office anyway for urging protestors to “peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard” on Jan. 6, 2021 preceding the riot at the U.S. Capitol.
Then, prosecuting incitement is good (in that case Trump was acquitted) if it means they gain power, but if a Democrat advocates “two bullets” in the head of the Republican leader of the Virginia House of Delegates, then it is okay, because otherwise it would mean they lose power.
Just look at Portland, Oreg. as an example. For about a decade, Antifa — now declared to be a domestic terrorist organization by President Donald Trump, unlocking Patriot Act powers — has paralyzed that city, trying to burn federal buildings to the ground, engaging in street combat against counter protestors and now warring with federal authorities including Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
It suits Democrats just fine. If they ignore the violence, then they are shielded politically. Only those who want to be a target of violence will wage an real opposition politically in the blue city. And Portland houses it, clothes it, feeds it — and allows it. The elected leaders there want it.
The violence is righteous and so it has become permissible. And it has been exported across the country in the riots of 2020 and beyond.
In Chicago, Ill. violent gangs similarly war with federal immigration authorities and law enforcement, and city allows it. It wants it. In fact, when federal officers were run off the road, local police were told to stand down when called for assistance. No response from the city while the mayor actively bars cooperation with federal law enforcement officials.
These are outright rejections of the rule of law, of federal authority and of the Constitution. President Trump has said he is considering invoking the Insurrection Act. This is why.
Democrats’ hatred has become a license to kill or otherwise to use the reality of the violence as a way to intimidate their opponents. And it will keep happening until, frankly, those advocating and facilitating violence “feel pain” as Jones urged to Coyner, stating, “Only when people feel pain personally do they move on policy.”
Fine. If the Democratic Party of Virginia is foolish enough to keep a radical extremist with violent, dark thoughts on the ballot in Virginia because they do not actually want to do anything about the political violence and threats of political violence in their own party, then they’ll own it and perhaps feel political pain in the long run.
For now, with Jones in the race, all Democrats care about is taking a seat for public office. Nothing more or less. As long as it’s a D, they’re good. And they might win, for now. And if their violent rhetoric radicalizes more young people to actual acts of violence to get the “Nazis” — destroying their lives and futures — and force President Trump to restore order in our nation’s cities, so be it. They’ll make him right.
Democrats don’t think Jones is a liability, but they just haven’t thought it through.
Which is worse for Democrats, if Jay Jones stays in the race, and wins — making him the poster child for Democratic Party violence for at least the next four years while a new Democratic administration tries to make Virginia a sanctuary state — or if Democrats take a stand now, expel this violence from their party, even if they happen to lose the Attorney General office in Virginia for another cycle? Trust lost is not easily regained.
Are Democrats a party of violence?
It sure looks like it. And we’re about to find out in Virginia (and everywhere else) whether the rest of the country agrees.
Robert Romano is the Executive Director at Americans for Limited Government.
