Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones mocked for ‘Attoney General’ typo
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Newly sworn-in Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones was quickly ridiculed online Thursday after his office released a statement referring to him as “Attorney General,” a mistake critics seized on as emblematic of his first major move into office.
The error was revealed in a graphic accompanying Jones’ announcement defending Virginia’s in-state tuition law for undocumented students.
Jones’ predecessor, former Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, struck a lighter tone in a post that quickly gained traction online.
“Keep calm guys,” Miyares wrote to X, circling a screenshot of the hoaxes in red. “Maybe one of the staff members was saying ‘Hey, Tony’ with a Jersey accent?”
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Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones’ latest gaffe was an official statement shared on social media this week in which his title was spelled “Attorney General.” (Maxine Wallace/Washington Post/Getty Images)
The Virginia GOP offered a harsher blow, saying it “took a full day to fix this,” suggesting the mistake took longer than it should have.
The Republican National Lawyers Association (RNLA) mocked both Jones’ error and the timing of the correction.
“Jay Jones is struggling,” the RNLA said. “This time, in his final embarrassment, he was so quick to change the letterhead that he forgot how to write his new title.”
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Former Virginia AG Jason Miyares took the opportunity to share Jones’ typo with his X followers. (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)
National Review senior editor Jim Geraghty argued that the typo was barely recorded compared to Jones’ broader record.
“The thing is, misspelling the word ‘lawyer’ probably doesn’t even rank among the 200 worst things Jay Jones has sent electronically,” Geraghty said.
Other users chimed in, including one account that joked that Jones was the “Center for Quality Education’s top runner.”
A newly updated post is now on Jones’ official government X page; Fixed typo of chart.
Jones began his term under intense scrutiny after facing backlash on the campaign trail after text messages resurfaced in which he fantasized about the deaths of his political rival, House Speaker Todd Gilbert, and his children.
Despite the controversy, Jones was elected alongside Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger in what was considered a blue wave election last November.
Abigail Spanberger (left) and Barack Obama (right) with Jay Jones (not pictured) in Norfolk on November 2, 2025 (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
The typo appeared to overshadow Jones’ announcement that he was taking action to defend Virginia’s in-state tuition law, a decision framed as resistance to the Trump administration.
“On day one, I promised Virginians that I would fight back against the Trump Administration’s attacks on our Commonwealth, our institutions of higher education, and most importantly, our students,” Jones said in the press release. “Virginians deserve leaders who will put them first, and my office will continue to do just that.”
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Critics argued that the typo weakened Jones’ message, making the error quickly become an easy target amid a contentious fight over in-state tuition and immigration policy.
Jones’ office did not acknowledge the typo when reached by Fox News Digital.
“In his first week in office, Attorney General Jay Jones began working to protect the Commonwealth from Donald Trump’s actions that would place costs on Virginia families and to defend the rights of Virginians against attacks from the Trump administration,” a spokesperson for the attorney general said in an email to Fox News Digital. he wrote. “He acted quickly to prevent overreach and defend the people of Virginia. Attorney General Jones is already achieving victories on affordability and accountability while delivering real results for the Commonwealth.”
