Mon County clergymembers ask WV House Speaker for “full investigation” into antisemitic comment

by Caity Coyne, West Virginia Watch
July 8, 2025

Several clergy leaders in Monongalia County are calling on House Speaker Roger Hanshaw to “conduct a full investigation” into how an antisemitic comment was made by a personal Instagram account belonging to Del. Ian Masters, R-Berkeley.

In addition to the comment — which Masters has denied making — the clergy leaders are also asking Hanshaw, R-Clay, to look into the account’s profile picture, which features symbols associated with neo-Nazi and white supremacist beliefs.

“As clergy, we condemn antisemitism in the strongest terms possible,” the letter reads. “… Jewish people have been the subject of horrific violence and oppression by governmental actors over the centuries, including in the United States. Whether Delegate Masters is indeed the one who made these comments deserves thorough scrutiny.”

The clergymembers who signed onto the letter include: Rabbi Joseph Hample, Tree of Life Congregation; Rev. Jenny Williams, United Methodist; Rev. Zac Morton, First Presbyterian Church; Pastor Stephen Prince, United Methodist; Rev. Stephen Lowe, Morgantown Church of the Brethren — Mennonite and Pastor Teresa Prince, United Methodist.

The comment the clergymembers are referring to was left on June 21 by an account with the handle @NoQuarterMasters in response to another comment on a post from April 12 about Dave Portnoy, founder of Barstool Sports. Masters has denied making the comment since West Virginia Watch first reported the story on June 24. At that time, he said he didn’t have “any active Instagram” account and didn’t acknowledge any affiliation with the handle @NoQuarterMasters.

When the comment was made, the account still used Masters’ full name and was previously tagged and featured in photos of Masters posted by other public Instagram pages.

On June 27, House Majority Leader Pat McGeehan issued a news release saying he obtained “definitive proof” showing Masters did not make the comment. He did not release the proof upon request. 

In their letter to Hanshaw on Tuesday, the Monongalia County clergymembers said the release from McGeehan “evoked antisemitic tropes” as the Majority Leader specifically called out Del. Mike Pushkin, D-Kanawha, and Del. Evan Hansen, D-Monongalia — the only two Jewish members of the state Legislature. 

After the two asked for an investigation into Masters’ social media and his resignation if the allegations were true, McGeehan said they were “not interested in the truth” and were making “deceptive accusations” because they “desire power and social status at the expense of others.”

“There is a long and terrible history of painting Jewish people as deceptive, power-hungry sub-humans who use trickery to advance their agendas,” the clergymembers wrote. “These stereotypes have been used again and again to justify some of the worst atrocities in human history.” 

Last week, McGeehan and Masters gave separate interviews on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively to WRNR TV regarding the comment and the allegations against Masters. WRNR is owned by another member of the House Republican caucus, Del. Mike Hornby, R-Berkeley, according to the Secretary of State.

McGeehan said he personally investigated the incident and found the person responsible: A “basically homeless” man with an unnamed illness and substance use disorder who was “probably going to eventually die in the near future.” 

Masters, McGeehan said, gave the man his old inactive iPhone in 2024 but left his social media accounts — including Instagram — logged in. The man used Masters’ account, McGeehan said, to leave the comment.

In his interview the next day, Masters reiterated McGeehan’s explanation, though in less crass terms. The man, he said, was a friend of his late brothers and he wanted to help him while he was struggling. His name has not been released. 

The profile picture on the page showing symbols burnt into wooden pendants, Masters said, was his and was a “memorial” to his late brother, who loved Norse mythology. The symbols shown included several classified by the Anti-Defamation League as being affiliated with antisemitic beliefs, including the Wolfsangel, which was was appropriated by Nazi Germany as the divisional insignia for several Waffen-SS units and is currently used in the logo for the Aryan Nations in the U.S. and Europe.

Outside of McGeehan, leaders for the West Virginia House Republicans have not commented on the allegations against Masters. The state Democratic Party — led by Pushkin — has requested a “legitimate” investigation into the matter. 

McGeehan said last week that the matter was settled due to his investigation. 

“This is over as far as I’m concerned,” McGeehan said. “… There’s a lot of things that would go into [an official investigation] and I’m not going to have some sort of witch hunt. I’ve done due diligence.”

In their letter to Hanshaw, the clergymembers from Monongalia County said McGeehan has “waived off the scandal” and that his own investigation is not an appropriate conclusion given the allegations at hand.

“McGeehan stated publicly that he has looked into the matter and that he will not further pursue what he is alleging has taken place: the federal crime of impersonating a lawmaker. He has also stated that he is a longtime friend of Delegate Masters,” the clergymembers wrote. “For these reasons we believe he is unable to impartially and fully investigate the matter. We are calling upon [Hanshaw] to initiate a full, impartial investigation to right the prejudiced wrongs being perpetuated by members of the House.”

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.