WV House Majority Leader says there’s proof Del. Masters didn’t write antisemitic comment

by Caity Coyne, West Virginia Watch
June 27, 2025

West Virginia House Majority Leader Pat McGeehan issued a statement Friday saying he had “definitive proof” that Del. Ian T. Masters, R-Berkeley, was not recently using an Instagram account responsible for an antisemitic comment last week. 

McGeehan did not respond to an emailed request to provide that evidence and could not be reached by phone Friday.

In his statement, McGeehan said Masters provided him with a screenshot of the account that showed “irregular activity.” That screenshot was not included in the release and he did not explain specifically what it showed.

McGeehan also claimed that the person who did make the comment from the profile @NoQuarterMasters — which bore Masters’ full name, a link to an organization he ran for about 10 years and a profile picture with a letter addressed to “Ian” surrounded by symbols associated with neo-Nazi and white supremacist ideals — has been identified. 

The responsible person, according to McGeehan, was “someone with no current relation to [Masters] and his district, or anyone else in the WV Republican Party.” He offered no other details.

In his comments Friday, McGeehan called out Democratic Party Chair Mike Pushkin and Del. Evan Hansen, D-Monongalia — the only two Jewish members of the state Legislature — by name, saying they were “not interested in the truth” about who really left the antisemitic comment.

“They make these deceptive accusations because they desire power and social status at the expense of others,” McGeehan wrote. 

Earlier this week, Pushkin called on Gov. Patrick Morrisey to “show moral leadership” and ask for Masters’ resignation unless evidence could be provided showing definitively that he did not make the comment. The state Democratic Party also urged House Speaker Roger Hanshaw in a letter to “take swift action” against Masters and fully investigate the incident.

On Friday, Pushkin released another statement that questioned why McGeehan did not release the proof. 

“If the responsible party has been ‘identified,’ why has no name been released and no explanation given as to how that determination was made?” Pushkin asked. “Until that happens — and unless that evidence is presented clearly and publicly — McGeehan’s statements amount to little more than a dog whistle meant to distract from serious concerns about antisemitism and white supremacy by a member of the House of Delegates.”

The Instagram account @NoQuarterMasters left the antisemitic comment on a months-old Instagram post about Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy on June 21. The comment said “[Portnoy is] not white. He’s a Jew. We never claimed them. That’s why he’s short tiny and weak.”

West Virginia Watch first reported the comment and the links between Masters and the profile that left it on Tuesday. In an interview that day, Masters said he did not have “any active Instagram account” and was not responsible for the comment.

House Speaker Roger Hanshaw told MetroNews Talkline on Wednesday that Masters told him he was “previously affiliated” with the @NoQuarterMasters account but wasn’t anymore and denied “having connection” to the antisemitic comment. 

“He was surprised to see it,” Hanshaw said. “When [Masters] and I spoke earlier [Wednesday], he indicated that he could not actually log into the account when he tried to do so because, apparently, the password had been changed and he had to seek technical assistance to even be able to reset a password.”

The last two digits of the phone number used for password recovery on the account were the same as on Masters’ personal cell phone on Tuesday.

During his interview with West Virginia Watch, Masters did not acknowledge any familiarity with the account’s handle or any previous affiliation with it. 

In 2023, multiple Instagram posts from the West Virginia Citizens Defense League — where Masters served as president from 2015 to 2025 — showed captions signed off by “Ian T. Masters, Esq.” and @NoQuarterMasters tagged in photos alongside accounts with the same names of other officers for the organization.

Several photos on his wife’s public Instagram from 2021-23 show photos of Masters tagged as @NoQuarterMasters. 

Before speaking to West Virginia Watch on Tuesday, the name on the account — separate from the handle — read “Ian T. Masters” and a link to the Citizens Defense League’s website was included in the bio. After the interview but before the story was published that day, the account’s name changed to “I. Masters” and the link was removed. By Tuesday night, the name was changed back to “Ian T. Masters.”

On Tuesday morning, the @NoQuarterMasters profile, which is private, was shown to have 1,498 posts and 367 followers. By 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, the number of posts had dropped to 1,368 — meaning more than 100 posts were deleted — and the follower count dropped to 276. As of Friday afternoon, the account only showed 39 followers.

On Wednesday, the state Democratic Party called on Hanshaw to conduct a “legitimate investigation” into the comment and Masters’ links to the account — including the profile picture that shows a letter addressed to “Ian” in Chester, West Virginia. Per reporting by West Virginia Public Broadcasting, Masters’ LinkedIn says he worked in Chester from 2016-19. 

The letter is partially covered up by runes burnt into wooden pendants hanging from strings. The runes include several symbols listed by the Anti-Defamation League, an advocacy organization dedicated to stopping anti-semitism across the world, as antisemitic symbols used by groups and individuals espousing white supremacist, neo-Nazi and antisemitic ideals. 

“Keep in mind that Delegate Masters’ Instagram account didn’t just post an antisemitic statement. It also has white supremacist, neo-Nazi, and antisemitic symbols,” Hansen said in a statement Friday.  “Legislative leadership should condemn these actions. And they should perform a full investigation with findings released to the public, rather than trying to turn this into a partisan issue.”

Pushkin earlier this week outlined specific steps that state Democrats say Hanshaw should take to clear Masters’ name, including: performing a “full forensic investigation” of Masters’ devices, social media accounts and email; seeking an explanation of the account’s profile picture and the symbols within it as well as how the name and bio on the account were changed after his interview with West Virginia Watch.

“[G]iven the gravity of what’s alleged, an investigation cannot simply mean asking the Delegate, ‘Did you do it?’ and taking ‘No’ for an answer. We need to get to the truth,” Pushkin said. “West Virginians deserve to know whether an individual chosen to serve in the House of Delegates has used his platform to promote hate, bigotry, and extremism.”

McGeehan on Friday called Pushkin a “professional victim” who was trying to “manipulate” the situation as state Democrats are currently in litigation regarding Masters’ House seat.

Masters was appointed to the House by Gov. Patrick Morrisey in January after delegate-elect Joseph de Soto was accused of threatening to harm and kill lawmakers. Spokespeople for Morrisey have yet to respond to requests for comment regarding the allegations against Masters.

De Soto won the November 2024 election as a Republican but switched his party affiliation to Democratic shortly before being arrested for making terroristic threats. 

House Republicans in January voted to vacate the seat instead of expelling de Soto, saying it was the correct way to deal with the seat since de Soto was on house arrest and never sworn in. The vacate move prompted a legal challenge from the state Democratic Party, who argued that the seat should have gone to Democrats due to de Soto’s party switch.

The West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals ruled against state Democrats in one of their challenges over the seat, however other challenges are still pending.

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West Virginia Watch is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. West Virginia Watch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Leann Ray for questions: info@westvirginiawatch.com.