Del. Ian T. Masters, R-Berkeley, located
State del. Ian T. Masters, R-Berkeley, denied the allegations on Tuesday that he was responsible for an anti-Semitic comment by a private Instagram account that has used his name and is connected to an organization that he recently led.
In a statement on Tuesday, the chairman of the Democratic Party of West Virginia, Mike Puschkin, called the comment – who came from Masters – “disgusting, dangerous and completely disqualifying”. Puschkin, who is Jewish, asked Governor Patrick Morrisey to “show moral leadership” and demand Masters’s resignation.
The comment in question was made three days ago by an account with the Handle @noquartermasters in response to another comment A contribution from April 12th About Dave Portnoy, founder of Barstool Sports. The comment was: “[Portnoy is] not white. He is a Jew. We never claimed them. That’s why it is short and weak. “
In a telephone interview on Tuesday with West Virginia Watch, Masters said that he “had no active Instagram account”.
“This is certainly not something that I tap or say or believe,” said Masters and continued to call the frame of the comment “bizarre”.
“Yes, that’s certainly nothing – I mean, I don’t explain who white people do and do not say, and that is – no, it’s just not a faith [of mine]”He continued and referred to anti -Semitism and the idea that” there are explanations about who knows and does not know and not. “
A screenshot of the comment from @noquartermasters was sent to West Virginia Watch on Monday. It was published on Instagram on Tuesday morning and public. On Tuesday afternoon, Pushkin turned to post regardless of the West Virginia Watch.
By Tuesday afternoon, the name was on the account of @noquartermasters Ian T. Masters and the link in the organic He was appointed governor Patrick Morrisey Serve in the house of West Virginia.
At 2:20 p.m. – after the conversation by Masters with West Virginia Watch – the name on the report in I. Masters was changed and the connection to the citizens’ defense league removed from the biography.
The profile picture on @noquartermasters shows a letter to “Ian” in West Virginia. The rest of the information in the letter is covered by runes that are burned into wooden trailers that hang on strings.
The runes contain several symbols listed Anti-defamation LeagueAn advocacy organization that is used worldwide anti-Semitism as anti-Semitic symbols used by groups and individuals who apply white supremacists, neo-Nazi and anti-Semitic ideals. The runes contain The valknotThe Life rune and the Wolfsangamong other things.
According to Instagram, the last two digits of the telephone number, which are used for a password reset on the account @noquartermasters, match the personal cell phone number of the Masters, with which he returned a call reporter from West Virginia on Tuesday.
When asked on Tuesday whether there was an opportunity that someone would go out in the face of all these connections, said Masters, he didn’t know.
“I will definitely investigate it,” said Masters. “I try to remember to have an active Instagram account, so I don’t know.”
Many contributions from the Instagram account of the West Virginia Citizens Defense League in 2023 – acted as Masters as President – show @noquartermasters together with the same names as with the same names as with the same names as Other officers for the organization.
Masters, a trade, signed many of the caps for these places as Ian T. Masters, Esquire.
In his statement, Pushkin, the comment from @noquartermasters – whom he ascribed Masters despite his rejection – said was not only anti -Semitic, but “rooted in white dominance”.
“As a lawyer and member of the West Virginia House of Delegates, he should have known better – but he clearly doesn’t,” wrote Puschkin. “His bigotry is a embarrassment for his district, our state and the values that we should maintain as Americans.”
In addition to the request to Masters, Masters’s resignation, Pushkin said that House Speaker Roger Hanshaw, R-Clay, “clearly and clearly to defend decency and demand that the resignation of masters delegate.”
“There is no place in our legislation for hideous hate speeches,” said Puschkin. “West Virginians earn it better.”
Morrisey’s office did not answer this article on inquiries about comments. Hanshaw was not available for a comment on Tuesday. Ann Ali, Communication Director of the State House of Delegates, said that Hanshaw was not not dealing with situations in which allegations against seated members of the house came.
“Unfortunately, this is not the first time that we had a report on a delegate who has some completely unloading of the West Virginia legislator, and I think in any case [where the allegation is proven]The spokesman Hanshaw used the tools available to him to demonstrate his disapproval, ”said Ali.
Ali said that these powers can be restricted; This includes removing a seated member from committee orders and changes to office orders, seat inputs in the chamber or parking lot orders. Other powers, according to Ali, are not in the area of responsibility of the speaker, since members are often elected to the legislature by people in their respective districts.
However, Masters is not one of these members because he was appointed house seat by Morrisey in January after the elected delegated delegate Joseph de Soto was accused To harm and kill legislators. De Soto had won the election in November 2024 as a Republican and his party affiliation shortly before he was arrested because he was expanded terrorist threats.
House republicans in January agreed for the rooms of the seat Instead of clearing up de Soto, it said it was the right way to deal with the seat, since de Soto was at house arrest and was never sworn in. The failure led to a legal challenge of the state democratic party, which argued that the seat of the seat should have going to Democrats Because of de Sotos Party Switch.
The Supreme Court of Appeal of West Virginia ruled against State Democrats in one of their challenges about the seat.
During the 2025 session, Masters was a member of the House Committee for Health and Human Resources as well as the sub-committees for the Ordinance on Health and Healthcare Ordinance.
He was the sponsor of three bills in this session: House bill 2662Creation of a vehicle murder for vehicles and stricter vehicle murder systems in the state; HB 3483With regard to mental health examination requirements and HB 3489in connection with the vaccine requirement.
None of these legislation made it out of the committee, but the Senate version of HB 3489 passed and became Morrisey’s signature at the beginning of this year.
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