GOP lawmaker says hacking behind WV flood aid letter, House spox says ‘no suspicious activity’ found

by Lori Kersey, West Virginia Watch
July 16, 2025

A West Virginia Republican lawmaker is denying that he authored a letter to the state’s congressional delegation about the need for federal flood aid for the northern part of the state. 

Del. Charles Sheedy Sr., R-Marshall, is the second West Virginia Republican lawmaker this summer to say his social media account had been compromised, resulting in a statement he didn’t make. 

The letter allegedly from Sheedy was reported by the TV news station WTRF Tuesday and was posted Monday by Charles Sheedy’s personal Facebook account to the Facebook group “Marshall County WV Republican Club.” It questioned why Ohio and Marion counties have not yet received a disaster declaration from the federal government a month after flooding swept through the area, killing nine people. 

“Constituents in District 7 are asking why President Trump has not issued a FEMA Disaster Declaration for Ohio and Marion Counties?” the letter says. It contained multiple typos. “My constituents are also yours and they deserve an answer since approximately 78% of all West Virginians that voted did so for President Trump. It is very apparent that the President does not need West Virginia now that he is in office for one term.”

Then, it raised concerns that the lack of declaration could lead to Republicans losing seats.

“Our very elections in 2026 and beyond depend on the timely issuance of this deceleration and Republican seats could be lost,” the letter said. “This will cost our Delegate districts, Senate Districts, your Federal Districts needed representation to accomplish our work to secure the region, state, and nation.”

Reached via email Tuesday, Sheedy responded that he did not write the letter. 

A Facebook account with the name Delegate Sheedy posted, “Apparently my page has been hacked. I have changed my password and am assured it will not happen again by FB. This is my letterhead. The other I was shown is old and no longer in use.” The account has now been deleted.

Sheedy told West Virginia Watch that he did not write the letter and has deleted his “delegate account,” referring to his professional Facebook account. There were two versions of the letter with slight formatting differences and different lists of committees that Sheedy serves on in the House of Delegates.

However, a spokesperson for Gov. Patrick Morrisey — one of the recipients of the letter — confirmed they received a version of the letter from Sheedy’s official legislative email account.

In an email Wednesday, Ann Ali, deputy chief of staff and communications director for the state House of Delegates, said that House Speaker Roger Hanshaw, R-Clay, and House leadership were not aware of any hacking or impersonation situation Sheedy may have experienced. 

She said the House’s Legislative Automated Systems Division — similar to an information technology department — said Sheedy had not reached out for assistance. The department did a safety check for Sheedy’s accounts for suspicious activity and did not find anything problematic, she said.

Sheedy’s denial came after Democrats in the Legislature criticized the letter for its focus on politics and the election while Wheeling-area residents are still mucking out homes and trying to salvage belongings as they await federal aid.

Del. Shawn Fluharty, a Democratic lawmaker who represents Ohio County, expressed doubt that Sheedy’s account was hacked. 

“If he got hacked, then I’m an astronaut,” Fluharty said. “I think what happened was he intended to say something positive, and he actually said the quiet part out loud. He and many others are more concerned with maintaining their power and Republican seats in the Legislature.”

Another House Republican claimed someone else behind controversial comments

Sheedy, who was elected to the House in 2022, is the second state lawmaker recently to say that someone else made a comment on his social media account. 

It’s against the law to impersonate a law enforcement official or public official. 

Del. Ian T. Masters, R-Berkeley, told the Eastern Panhandle’s WRNR radio station earlier this month his Instagram account was used by someone else to write an antisemitic comment. Masters said he gave his phone to someone he had “known for a long while and cared about and was trying to help.” 

The comment was first reported on by West Virginia Watch. 

As of Wednesday afternoon, the letter remained posted on a Facebook account in a group called “Marshall County WV Republican Club.” A story containing the letter also remained on WTRF’s website, despite Sheedy saying he didn’t write it. 

When West Virginia Watch asked Sheedy if he had reached out to the station, he said no and that he does “not know where they got the story from.”

He also told West Virginia Watch, “From now on people will have to see me as usual when I attend; city council, county commission, senior citizen, VFD, and various other meetings which I engage in weekly.”

Sheedy did not respond to an email with further questions about his being hacked. 

Fluharty criticized Sheedy and other Republicans for voting down a Democrat budget amendment that would have provided $50 million to the state’s flood resiliency fund. 

“Now it’s coming back to bite them all in the ass,” he said. “And you know, not just limited to him, but our state failed to properly fund that previously. [Former Gov.] Jim Justice said we should put $100 million into it, and then Democrats attempted this past session to put $50 million dollars into it. It was shot down largely along party lines.”

Morrisey formally requested a federal disaster declaration for Marion and Ohio counties June 20, but the Trump administration has yet to grant the declaration. Disaster declarations allow affected areas assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, depending on the circumstances. 

The governor told reporters last week that he would continue to push federal officials for a declaration. 

Amelia Ferrell Knisely contributed to this report.

This story has been corrected to clarify that Del. Ian Masters did not say his Instagram account was “hacked”; he said he gave his phone to someone else and that person made a controversial comment. 

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