Democratic congressional candidate J.P. Cooney, running for Virginia’s 7th District on a platform that stresses bipartisan accountability and nonpartisan integrity, is facing scrutiny over reported 2021 text messages that appear to mock Catholic nuns who attended the Jan. 6 rally in Washington, D.C.
The messages, obtained by Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and first reported by The Daily Wire, date to February 2021. At the time, Cooney and his colleague Molly Gaston were serving as Department of Justice prosecutors and referenced a New York Times photograph showing religious sisters in traditional habits and veils attending the Jan. 6, 2021, rally while wearing Trump scarves, as Zeale News previously reported.
>> Report: Biden-era DOJ prosecutors discussed targeting Catholic nuns at Jan. 6 rally <<
According to the report, Gaston wrote that she would like a “special assignment of finding and prosecuting them [the nuns],” to which Cooney replied: “I’m with you. Although I’d like to prosecute any nun who still wears the head habit.”
Cooney’s office did not respond to a request for comment from Zeale News when asked whether the texts were accurately attributed to him and whether he regretted the remarks, wished to clarify their context, or how he would respond to criticism that the comments were anti-Catholic.
Cooney, a former top deputy to Special Counsel Jack Smith, has centered his campaign on themes of bipartisanship, democratic reform, and service. His website states that “bipartisanship is a hallmark of Cooney’s life and career,” citing a Talking Points Memo report that said Cooney, as a president of the College Democrats at the University of Notre Dame, worked to make events bipartisan and frequently included Republican participation.
The campaign also highlights descriptions of Cooney as “fearless” and willing to take on “high-level power players” regardless of party affiliation, again citing Talking Points Memo. It also cites an ABC News report describing Cooney as a “nonpartisan career prosecutor” focused on “integrity.”
Cooney has also framed his congressional bid around opposition to President Donald Trump, highlighting the work he undertook as a top deputy to Smith in investigations into the President’s handling of classified documents and efforts related to the 2020 election.