Virginia AG Under Fire for Typo After Controversial Comments About Opponent’s Family

Virginia’s newly appointed Attorney General Jay Jones faced swift criticism Thursday after his office released an official statement containing a glaring typographical error. The graphic accompanying Jones’ first major announcement as the state’s top legal officer misspelled his title as “Attoney General,” omitting the letter “r.”

The mistake occurred in materials related to Jones’ defense of Virginia’s law granting in-state tuition rates to undocumented students. The error quickly circulated on social media, where political opponents seized the opportunity to mock the Democratic official’s early stumble.

Former Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, whom Jones defeated in last November’s election, responded with a lighter touch. “Go easy folks,” Miyares wrote on X, sharing a screenshot with the error circled in red. “Perhaps someone on the staff was just saying ‘Hey, Tony’ in a Jersey accent?”

Other critics were less forgiving. The Virginia Republican Party claimed “it took him a whole day to fix this,” suggesting a delayed response to the obvious error. The Republican National Lawyers Association connected the mistake to Jones’ controversial past, posting: “Jay Jones is struggling. This time he moved so quickly to change the letterhead from his last embarrassment that he forgot how to spell his new title.”

National Review senior editor Jim Geraghty offered perhaps the most pointed critique, writing that “misspelling ‘attorney’ probably isn’t even in the worst 200 things that Jay Jones has ever sent electronically” – a reference to Jones’ campaign trail controversies.

The typographical error has since been corrected on Jones’ official social media accounts, but not before becoming an unfortunate distraction from the substance of his announcement about defending Virginia’s in-state tuition policy for undocumented students against challenges from the Trump administration.

In his statement, Jones framed his legal position as keeping a promise to Virginians: “On day one, I promised Virginians I would fight back against the Trump Administration’s attacks on our Commonwealth, our institutions of higher education, and most importantly – our students,” he said. “Virginians deserve leaders who will put them first, and that’s exactly what my office will continue to do.”

The spelling gaffe represents an inauspicious start for Jones, who entered office under heightened scrutiny following a contentious election campaign. During the race, Jones faced significant backlash over resurfaced text messages in which he reportedly fantasized about the death of his political opponent, House Speaker Todd Gilbert, and Gilbert’s children.

Despite these controversies, Jones was elected alongside Democratic Governor Abigail Spanberger in what analysts described as a blue wave election last November. The Democratic victories in Virginia stood in contrast to Republican gains in many other states.

When contacted by Fox News Digital about the error, Jones’ office did not directly address the spelling mistake. Instead, a spokesperson highlighted the attorney general’s early work: “In his first week in office, Attorney General Jay Jones has gotten to work protecting the Commonwealth from Donald Trump’s actions that would raise costs on Virginia families and defending Virginians’ rights from the Trump administration’s attacks.”

The incident underscores the intense scrutiny facing newly elected officials, particularly in a state like Virginia that has become increasingly competitive politically. Even minor errors can quickly become amplified in today’s digital media environment, potentially undermining public messaging on substantive policy issues.

As Jones settles into his new role, the spelling error serves as an early reminder of the challenges of public office – where attention to detail matters and first impressions can shape public perception of an administration’s competence and professionalism.