Jay Jones rolls out new Trump accountability team in state AG’s office

The new Federal Accountability Unit that Jay Jones rolled out today is why we needed to elect a Democrat to be our attorney general last fall.

A release from the AG’s office calls the unit “a new team within the Office of the Attorney General dedicated to confronting Trump administration actions that exceed federal authority and threaten Virginia’s interests.

“I promised to put Virginia first, and the Federal Accountability Unit will take on Trump administration actions that hurt Virginians, from tariffs that exacerbate the cost crisis, to the damage left behind by DOGE,” Jones said in a statement.

“My team will be ready to act when Trump holds critical funding hostage, when federal policies threaten Virginia workers and families, or when the President attacks our democracy. The creation of this unit ensures dedicated personnel and resources are in place to fight back in court and protect the people we serve,” Jones said.

The portfolio for the unit will include issues of federal funding, elections, healthcare, immigration, environmental protections, consumer issues, constitutional rights, tariffs and other economic policies, and the fallout from DOGE cuts to the federal workforce.

The unit will include four new attorneys working across the Office of the Solicitor General and the Civil Litigation Division.

Deputy Solicitor General Megan Keenan, a UVA Law alum, will head up the unit – they should just go ahead and call it the Trump Accountability Unit and get it over with.

“We understand the weight of this work and the stakes for Virginians,” Keenan said. “We will move quickly, defend the Commonwealth, and meet unlawful action with the full force of the law. Our charge is to anticipate and counter emerging threats, build the strongest cases possible, and ensure the state is prepared when its interests or its people are put at risk.”