Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday dismissed the backlash following a controversy involving a concerning Young Republicans group chat, saying it’s less serious than Virginia attorney general candidate Jay Jones’s call for violence against a GOP lawmaker and his family.

“This is far worse than anything said in a college group chat, and the guy who said it could become the AG of Virginia,” Vance posted on X. “I refuse to join the pearl clutching when powerful people call for political violence.”