Maryland Governor Wes Moore Struggles to Prove Grandfather's Klan Story

Aides accuse Free Beacon of racism as Moore fails to substantiate claims about his family history

Published on Feb. 10, 2026

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Maryland governor Wes Moore, a potential 2028 presidential candidate, has repeatedly claimed that his great-grandfather and grandfather were run out of South Carolina in the 1920s by the Ku Klux Klan. However, when pressed for evidence, Moore's aides could not provide any, instead pointing to the "broader reality" of racial terror in the Jim Crow South. Historical records reviewed by the Washington Free Beacon contradict Moore's account, showing his great-grandfather made an orderly and public transfer to Jamaica, with no mention of trouble with the Klan.

Why it matters

Moore has made his family's harrowing escape from the Klan a central part of his stump speech, and the story has been repeated by prominent media outlets. If the account is false, it could undermine Moore's credibility and raise questions about other biographical claims he has made, which have already been the subject of scrutiny.

The details

The Free Beacon report reveals that church records and contemporary news reports show Moore's great-grandfather, Rev. Josiah Johnson Thomas, made an orderly and public transfer to Jamaica after another prominent pastor died, with no mention of trouble with the Ku Klux Klan. This contradicts Moore's claim that his great-grandfather and grandfather fled the Klan in the middle of the night. Moore's aides have not provided any evidence to support his version of events, instead arguing that the "broader reality" of racial terror in the Jim Crow South is "not in dispute."

  • In the early 1920s, Rev. Josiah Johnson Thomas preached at a church in Pineville, South Carolina.

The players

Wes Moore

The Democratic governor of Maryland and a potential 2028 presidential candidate.

Rev. Josiah Johnson Thomas

Wes Moore's great-grandfather, who preached at a church in Pineville, South Carolina in the early 1920s.

Ammar Moussa

Wes Moore's spokesman, who accused the Free Beacon of racism in response to their reporting.

David Turner

Wes Moore's communications director, who said the Free Beacon's "obsession" with reporting on Moore was "weird."

Elizabeth Warren

A Democratic senator from Massachusetts who also cited her family's oral history when claiming to be a descendant of the Cherokee Nation, a claim that was later revealed to be unfounded.

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What they’re saying

“We're not going to litigate a family's century-old oral history with a partisan outlet.”

— Ammar Moussa, Spokesman for Wes Moore (Fox News)

“The broader reality is not in dispute: Intimidation and racial terror were pervasive in the Jim Crow South, and it rarely came with neat documentation.”

— Ammar Moussa, Spokesman for Wes Moore (Fox News)

“Your obsession with having the only Black Governor and his family tell you their family history is.....weird? It's weird.”

— David Turner, Communications Director for Wes Moore (X (formerly Twitter)

“When I was growing up in Oklahoma, I learned about my family the way most people do. My brothers and I learned from our mom and our dad and our brothers and our sisters. They were family stories.”

— Elizabeth Warren (Elizabeth Warren)

The takeaway

This case highlights the challenges politicians face when making claims about their personal histories and family backgrounds, especially when those claims are not well-documented. It also raises questions about the role of the media in scrutinizing such claims, and the appropriate balance between respecting oral histories and demanding verifiable evidence.