Democratic Virginia Attorney General nominee Jay Jones claimed Thursday that incumbent Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares can’t “prosecute a case against Trump,” even as Miyares said he has indeed brought cases against both the Trump and Biden administrations.
During the debate, Jones repeatedly criticized Miyares for not pursuing legal action against President Donald Trump. Miyares, when asked by the moderator about his “loyalty” to Trump, described a case where he put the state first, even when it conflicted with national Republican priorities. (RELATED: Watch Jay Jones Need Three Tries To Explain Why Voters Should Trust His Judgment)
“Virginians, I ask you to all go on Wavy TV 10, NBC affiliate, that did a truth tracker on Jay Jones’ false ad and his ad alleging what he’s saying about myself. They rated it as false. Why? Because I call balls and strikes. The reality? I’ve sued both administrations, the Trump administration and the Biden administration. I have sued to protect our veterans and their GI veterans,” Miyares said. “I have always put Virginians first.”
“But the reality is [that] Jay Jones is not a prosecutor. He is a politician. He wants to turn this into a political office. The largest division in the attorney general’s office is the criminal division. And every day, I work to make Virginians more safe, more prosperous. That’s been our mission,” Miyares said.
In August, Miyares sued the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and asked a federal appeals court to force the agency to comply with a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that guarantees veterans full education benefits, according to Military.com. In the lawsuit, the Republican attorney general accused the VA of increasing the state’s burden and costs to care for veterans due to wrongful denials.
In June 2023, Miyares also joined several GOP-led states to sue the Biden administration over a policy addressing an expected surge of illegal migrants at the southern border.After Miyares concluded his two-minute argument, the moderator posed a similar question to Jones, asking if he believes the GOP attorney general has “placed alignment” with Trump over Virginians. While Jones acknowledged that Miyares had cited one case, he maintained that the attorney general “can’t seem to prosecute a case” against Trump.
“Well, he’s talking a lot about prosecuting cases, but he can’t seem to prosecute a case against Donald Trump to save his life. He mentioned one, and that is respectable. But there are people in Virginia who are out of work,” Jones said. “There are people in Virginia who are going to lose health care. There are communities that are going to lose funding for K-12 and law enforcement because you haven’t stepped up to sue the president.”
“This race and the stakes of this race are very clear about whether or not you want someone who’s going to do what Donald Trump says,” Jones said. “That’s exactly why Donald Trump endorsed him in this race, put his arm around him and said he will never let you down. Because, again, Donald Trump has spent the last 10 years telling us that he cares more about himself than anyone else. And we have to make sure we put Virginia first.”
Jones continued to say he would “always fight to make sure that we protect this commonwealth” if elected. He said he would join lawsuits to “protect our workers who were illegally fired by DOJ this spring.”
With just 30 days until Election Day, polls between Miyares and Jones have tightened, with the GOP attorney general currently in the lead. A recent poll conducted by the Trafalgar Group shows Miyares now ahead by more than five points.
