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Justice Confirms Cabinet Secretary Resigned Over Super PAC Involvement

Four men stand arrayed next to an English bulldog seated in a field chair in a marbled, high-ceilinged room with an archway to the left. The man to the left wears a grey checkered jacket over a white shirt and blue pants, while the man next to him wears a navy jacket over a white shirt, blue tie with a yellow circle pattern and dark grey pants. The other two men in frame hold a plaque between them. The man to the left of the plaque wears a pastel yellow jacket over light grey pants, while the man to the right of the plaque, seated on a high stool, wears a navy blue jacket over a white shirt and charcoal pants.
Mark Scott, left, stands next to muralist John Canning, Sec. of Arts, Culture and History Randall Reid-Smith, Gov. Jim Justice and BabyDog at the dedication of the capitol murals June 20, 2024.
Perry Bennett/WV Legislative Photography
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A cabinet secretary for Gov. Jim Justice resigned after questions emerged over whether he solicited campaign funds for a conservative super political action committee (PAC) “on government time,” Justice said during a virtual press briefing on Thursday.

Mark Scott has served as cabinet secretary for the West Virginia Department of Administration since November 2021, but news of his departure was made public this week.

In the months before his resignation, Scott served as chairman of a conservative super political action committee that fundraised and endorsed candidates for office in West Virginia.

Scott was announced chairman of Conservative Policy Action, a conservative super PAC, in February. Super PACs are political organizations that can endorse political candidates and fundraise around specific issues.

Kim Webber, executive director for the State Ethics Commission, told MetroNews that it is illegal for public employees to “use public resources for political campaigns.”

This includes soliciting funds while on the clock.

“That’s why I said that I believe that he got out probably over his skis and maybe messed up,” Justice said.

According to Justice, Scott said he did not realize what he was doing was illegal, and chose to resign to avoid causing further issues for the governor’s administration.

His resignation takes effect July 31. Scott’s letter of resignation has not yet been made public, but Justice said it would be released “without a question.”

Scott will be succeeded by John McHugh, who formerly served as deputy secretary of administration and director of the state’s General Service Division, Justice announced in a Thursday press release.