WV Democratic Party Calls for Independent Investigation of State Auditor Mark Hunt

"West Virginians deserve to know why the State Auditor personally signed property deeds benefiting a friend, employee, and political contributor’s family — and why Republican leaders have remained silent."

For Immediate Release November 9, 2026

CHARLESTON, WV — West Virginia Democratic Party Chair Mike Pushkin today called for an immediate, independent state investigation into the actions of State Auditor Mark Hunt following revelations that Hunt personally signed nine property tax deeds benefiting a longtime friend and employee, despite state law assigning that responsibility to the deputy land commissioner.

The call comes nearly two weeks after a WV MetroNews story broke that the Auditor’s Office had received federal grand jury subpoenas, raising serious questions about potential wrongdoing in the very office responsible for rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse in state government.

According to an investigation published Sunday by West Virginia Watch, Hunt personally signed nine property deeds between March and June 2025. All nine went to MAPA LLC, a company incorporated under Patricia Johns, whose husband, Robert L. Johns, is a longtime friend of Hunt and a paid employee and consultant in the Auditor’s Office.

The Johns family is associated with companies holding hundreds of properties across West Virginia with a combined appraised value of approximately $38 million. Patricia Johns also contributed thousands of dollars to Hunt’s campaigns for Auditor and State Senate.

“Let’s get this straight,” said Pushkin. “The State Auditor’s Office handles approximately 17,000 property deeds a year. Mark Hunt personally signed nine of them, and every single one benefited a company connected to his longtime friend and employee, whose wife also contributed to his political campaigns. State law says those deeds are supposed to be signed by the deputy land commissioner, not the State Auditor. That raises an obvious question: Why did Mark Hunt single out these nine deeds for his personal attention?”

Pushkin noted that concerns about Hunt’s conduct are not limited to Democrats. Republican Delegate Tristan Leavitt has described the transactions as “cronyism,” while Republican State Senator Ryan Weld, who helped write the state’s property tax sale laws, has raised serious concerns about Hunt’s actions.

“When Republicans who helped write the law are raising the alarm, this is not some partisan disagreement,” Pushkin said. “This is a question of whether the State Auditor believes he is above the law.”

Hunt defended his actions by blaming a backlog and disorganization in the office he inherited from former Auditor J.B. McCuskey, who now serves as West Virginia’s Attorney General. But Pushkin said that explanation raises more questions than it answers. “If the problem was simply a backlog of unsigned deeds, why didn’t Hunt direct the deputy land commissioner to sign them, as the law requires? Why did he feel compelled to sign them himself? Did the deputy land commissioner refuse to sign these particular deeds? If so, why? And if the office was facing a widespread backlog, why did Hunt personally intervene only for his friend?”

Pushkin said the allegations demand action from Governor Patrick Morrisey, Attorney General J.B. McCuskey, House Speaker Roger Hanshaw, and Senate President Randy Smith.

“Governor Morrisey never misses an opportunity to talk about eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse when there’s a political point to be scored,” Pushkin said. “But now we have reports of federal grand jury subpoenas involving the State Auditor’s Office, along with documented transactions that Republican lawmakers themselves are questioning, and the Governor has been conspicuously silent.”

“Has Governor Morrisey directed anyone in his administration to examine these allegations? Has he requested an independent investigation? If not, why not? Does his commitment to rooting out government corruption end when the questions involve a fellow Republican?”

Pushkin also called on Attorney General McCuskey to explain what steps, if any, his office has taken. “Mark Hunt is blaming the problems in his office on the mess he says J.B. McCuskey left behind. McCuskey has declined to comment. But McCuskey is now the state’s chief legal officer. Does he intend to investigate these allegations?  If not, why not? 

Pushkin further questioned the silence of House Speaker Roger Hanshaw and Senate President Randy Smith, particularly in light of changes to legislative oversight that have reduced the independence of the Legislative Auditor.

“For decades, the Legislative Auditor played a critical role in uncovering waste, mismanagement, and misuse of taxpayer dollars,” Pushkin said. “Under Republican leadership, that office’s independence has been eliminated, leaving the Speaker and Senate President with full control over what gets investigated.”

“Speaker Hanshaw and Senate President Smith have the ability to pursue legislative oversight. Have they directed an investigation into the Auditor’s Office? If not, why not? What exactly are they waiting for?

Pushkin added, “the existence of a federal investigation is not an excuse for state officials to sit on their hands. Federal authorities have their responsibilities, and state officials have theirs. One does not cancel out the other.”

Pushkin called for an independent review of Hunt’s handling of delinquent property tax transactions, his office’s relationships with private purchasers of tax-delinquent property, and any potential conflicts of interest involving employees, contractors, and political contributors.

He also called for a review of whether state laws governing the issuance of tax deeds were followed and whether any taxpayers or property owners received preferential treatment.

“The people of West Virginia deserve to know whether the laws governing the sale of tax-delinquent property are being applied fairly to everyone, or whether politically connected insiders are getting special treatment,” Pushkin said.

“These transactions involve people’s property, their homes, and their rights under the law. They are not something the State Auditor gets to dismiss as a paperwork issue or a ‘tempest in a teapot.’”

Pushkin concluded by calling on the state’s Republican leadership to publicly explain what action they intend to take.

“Governor Morrisey, Attorney General McCuskey, Speaker Hanshaw, and Senate President Smith cannot hide behind federal grand jury secrecy as an excuse for refusing to exercise their own oversight responsibilities.”

“West Virginians are tired of a government that seems to work for politicians, their friends, and their political contributors instead of the people who pay the taxes and follow the rules.”

“There cannot be one set of rules for ordinary West Virginians and another for politically connected Republicans. The law applies to everyone, including the State Auditor. It’s time for an independent investigation, and it’s time for Republican leaders to stop looking the other way.”

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