Maryland Gov. Wes Moore might have been caught lying again after a report suggested that his tale about his great-grandfather could be completely false.
Moore often tells a dramatic family story about his grandfather, claiming he was forced to flee Charleston, South Carolina, as a boy in the 1920s because his great-grandfather had angered the Ku Klux Klan by preaching sermons against racism.
The governor said his great-grandfather and grandfather narrowly escaped lynching before taking refuge in Jamaica. It has been central to Moore’s political image and his supposed opposition to racism.
Yet, a Washington Free Beacon report indicates this might not have happened. The report notes that Moore first told the story in a 2014 memoir and “has since retold it countless times.”
The Beacon argues that Moore’s account of his great-grandfather’s relocation is “flatly contradicted by historical records and is almost certainly false. The author lays out documentary evidence that does not support the story’s details.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore has claimed in campaign ads since running for Governor that his Great-Grandfather, a minister, was chased out of America by the KKK for preaching against racism.
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) February 4, 2026
Unfortunately for him, Episcopal churches apparently keep historical records and his… pic.twitter.com/Dz6iGVfTEk
Church archives and newspaper records show that Moore’s great-grandfather, Rev. Josiah Johnson Thomas, was “transferred” in an “orderly and public” process from the Church of the Redeemer in Pineville, South Carolina, to Jamaica on December 13, 1924.
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The reason for the move was that the reverend was set to replace a Jamaican pastor who had just passed away, according to the records, which showed “no suggestion that the move was hurried or secret,” according to The Beacon.
Even amid “copious documentation” of Thomas’ life, there was “no mention of trouble with the Klan,” and the KKK “never had a chapter operating out of Pineville.”
Episcopal records and a 900-page diocesan history contain “no record of Moore’s great-grandfather preaching for racial equality, any record of a conflict with the Ku Klux Klan, or any record that he said or did anything noteworthy.”
This Black History Month, I want to call out “Black” Politicians who LIE for Wealth & Power. I will start with Wes Moore @iamwesmoore, this man has LIED about his military service & LIED about his Jamaican grandfather being chased out by the KKK. He CANNOT be trusted.
— Nas (@nasescobar316) February 6, 2026
This is not the first time Moore has made questionable claims about his history. He also allegedly lied on a White House fellowship application and portrayed himself as a “foremost expert” on radical Islam under the George W. Bush administration.
Gov. Moore also falsely claimed he was inducted into the Maryland College Football Hall of Fame, an organization that does not exist. He also said he received a Bronze Star for his service in Afghanistan. This was also a lie.
Moore is one of several high-profile Democrats that is being looked at to run for president in 2028. But the fact that his many lies are being publicly debunked, it might be better for him to sit this one out.
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