FOX 45: Do Marylanders know the real Wes Moore? Governor laughs, changes subject

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore was given a chance Thursday to settle months of questions about records that could illuminate his military service and financial interests. Instead, he answered with a political message about someone else.

When asked whether he would release military and financial records that have remained out of public view, Moore defended his commitment to transparency before pivoting to an unrelated demand.

“Release the Epstein files,” the Democratic governor said.

The exchange, during an event at the Anne Arundel County Police Department, underscored a pattern that has become increasingly familiar as questions about Moore’s public record have mounted. When pressed about documents that could independently verify aspects of his military history and financial disclosures, the governor has highlighted broader transparency initiatives while declining to commit to releasing the records themselves.

Those records include military files his administration previously said would be released, as well as tax and financial documents that critics say could provide a fuller accounting of his background before taking office.

“We have been very transparent,” Moore said when pressed at an event at the Anne Arundel County Police Department.

The governor’s comments came after months of requests from Spotlight on Maryland for records that could provide a fuller accounting of his military history and financial interests, including his investment in one of the nation’s largest cannabis companies.

Spotlight on Maryland asked the governor whether Marylanders “actually know” who he is, since many records that could confirm his claims have been withheld or heavily redacted.

The first two rows on the right side of Moore, nearly filled with the governor’s staffers and media relations team, audibly and visually laughed in unison with the state’s chief executive.

Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman, who also serves as the chairman of the Maryland Democratic Party, gave the loudest theatrical laugh in response to the question.

After his laughs, Moore cited an anti-corruption executive order, his decision to place assets in a blind trust, and subsequent legislation requiring future Maryland governors to place their holdings in a blind trust or agree not to participate in matters affecting their businesses.

Asked directly whether he would release his records, Moore pointed to a Baltimore Banner investigation of his military service.

“If people have any questions about my military records, they can just read the Baltimore Banner, who did a wonderful job being able to profile that,” Moore said.

Meanwhile, the Banner confirmed much of Spotlight’s reporting and concluded that Moore’s Army service was not in doubt but reported that he had, on multiple occasions, mischaracterized or inaccurately recounted aspects of his time in uniform.

Moore’s office previously said military records would be released in March, but Spotlight on Maryland has not received the documents more than 100 days later.

Previous reporting has identified unresolved questions involving Moore’s account of his Afghanistan deployment and his receipt of a Bronze Star nearly two decades later. For example, his supervisor in Afghanistan said Moore received an Army Commendation Medal at the end of his deployment — not a Bronze Star.

Moore ultimately received the Bronze Star in December 2024 after acknowledging that he had listed it on a 2006 White House fellowship application, even though he had not yet received it. The Army later approved the award retroactively after his former superior officer and close friend, Lt. Gen. Michael Fenzel, renewed the recommendation. Former U.S. Sen. Laphonza Butler, a California Democrat who was appointed to fill the remainder of the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s term, sent a referral letter to the Army secretary on Moore’s behalf.

‘Not a laughing matter’

Del. Ryan Nawrocki, a Baltimore County Republican, called Moore’s response dismissive and outrageous.

“It’s not a laughing matter,” Nawrocki said. “If the governor wants that level of transparency and he wants everything released, why should we not have everything released about all of his files?”

The questions extend beyond Moore’s military history.

Before becoming governor, Moore served on the board of Green Thumb Industries, a major cannabis producer, and held an investment in the company. Moore stepped down from the board in March 2022 and later placed his assets into a blind trust.

FOX45 News reported at the time that the trust would sell a substantial portion of his cannabis holdings. A blind trust limits an officeholder’s knowledge and control of investments; it does not, by itself, disclose every transaction publicly.

On May 3, 2023, Moore signed Maryland’s Cannabis Reform Act, which established the regulatory and licensing structure for recreational cannabis sales. This law was signed only two days after the related cannabis stocks were placed in a blind trust.

Nawrocki questioned the timing, noting the legislation was signed shortly after Moore finalized the trust. He suggested the law could have increased the value of cannabis companies in which Moore had previously invested. No evidence presented by Nawrocki established that Moore directed a trade, retained control of the holdings, or personally profited from signing the legislation.

Nicholas Patrick, former owner of Embrace CBD Wellness Centers, said the law devastated independent hemp retailers like himself while favoring large cannabis operators.

“We were essentially pushed out of the industry,” Patrick said.

Patrick said he built a business with three stores before the new regulatory system took effect. Hemp retailers had warned during the 2023 legislative debate that the proposal could eliminate much of their industry.

“I lost all of my stores,” Patrick said. “We built a million-dollar company from $8,000.”

Patrick accused Moore and state leaders of constructing a licensing system that benefited well-financed companies and campaign donors. He stopped short of alleging a crime.

“I don’t know,” Patrick said when asked whether the process constituted corruption. “That’s not my field, but it doesn’t feel right to me.”

For Patrick, the unanswered question is whether fuller disclosure would reveal any overlap between Moore’s public decisions and his private financial interests, given Moore’s lack of disclosure beyond his annual ethics filings.

“We’ve bled so they could get rich,” he said.