CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A political operative hired by West Virginia’s attorney general has quit.

Lance James Henderson’s resignation Wednesday followed a report of his hiring by the Charleston Gazette-Mail. In a statement on his resignation, Henderson said his hiring as Attorney General Patrick Morrisey’s deputy chief of staff had become a distraction.

Morrisey hired Henderson at a salary just under $100,000 after eliminating a consumer fraud investigator position. The hiring sparked criticism by Democrats seeking Morrisey’s office and by party leaders.

In 2014, he was a consultant who worked for the Maine GOP, primarily managing a direct mail program for the governor’s race, among other jobs. He’s been a political operative for the past 25 years.

Morrisey’s office has said Henderson was hired to help manage scheduling and communications.

––––––––––––––––

CORRECTION: This story was updated at 2:19 p.m. on Oct. 23, 2015, to correct the description of Lance James Henderson’s political work in Maine in 2014.


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.