News + Press
News + Press
News + Press
WV Democratic Party Slams Speaker Hanshaw’s Ethical Breach, Calls Out Hypocrisy and Abuse of Power
For Immediate Release March 25, 2026
CHARLESTON, W.Va. - The West Virginia Democratic Party today condemned House Speaker Roger Hanshaw for what can only be described as a blatant abuse of power—using the authority of the Speaker’s office to advance legislation benefiting a controversial data center project, only to then turn around and represent that same developer as an attorney.
Recent reporting has raised serious and unavoidable questions about whether Speaker Hanshaw violated both the letter and spirit of West Virginia’s ethics laws. Yet rather than address these concerns head-on, apologists have attempted to excuse the Speaker’s conduct by arguing that he should be treated no differently than any other member of the Legislature.
That argument is not only wrong—it has already been rejected by the West Virginia Ethics Commission.
In 2012, then-House Speaker Rick Thompson did what any public servant committed to ethical leadership should do: he sought guidance from the West Virginia Ethics Commission before continuing outside employment. The Commission ruled that he could not simultaneously serve as Speaker while working as a staff attorney for a teachers union, explicitly recognizing that the Speaker’s role carries heightened ethical obligations due to the immense power of the office.
Unlike rank-and-file legislators, the Speaker of the House controls the legislative agenda, appoints committee chairs and members, and wields authority over the powerful Rules Committee. The Ethics Commission made clear that with that power comes a higher standard—not a lower one.
Speaker Thompson respected that standard. Speaker Hanshaw ignored it.
“Speaker Hanshaw didn’t just blur the line between public duty and private gain—he erased it,” said West Virginia Democratic Party Chair Mike Pushkin. “And instead of doing the responsible thing and seeking an ethics opinion, he acted like the rules simply don’t apply to him.”
Pushkin continued: “We’ve seen this playbook before—from Donald Trump on down. Govern like a king, not a servant. Use public office for private benefit. Then when you’re caught, claim the rules don’t apply to you. West Virginians deserve better than that kind of cynical, self-serving leadership.”
“The idea that the Speaker is just another legislator is laughable,” Pushkin said. “The Speaker is the most powerful figure in the House of Delegates. To pretend otherwise is either deeply unserious or intentionally misleading.”
At a time when West Virginians are struggling with rising costs, economic uncertainty, and a lack of trust in government, the appearance that the Speaker may have used his office to benefit a client he represents further erodes confidence in public institutions.
“The question isn’t whether this looks bad—it does,” Pushkin added. “The question is whether Speaker Hanshaw is willing to be held accountable to the same ethical standards that previous Speakers honored. So far, the answer appears to be no.”
“Public office is a public trust,” Pushkin said. “Speaker Hanshaw should start acting like it.”