Senator Shelley Moore Capito praised two nominees to be the newest federal prosecutors in West Virginia, one of whom is her son.
Capito, a Republican, made no reference to the family relationship in a midday social media post. Within a few minutes, the U.S. Senate passed the tax and spending cuts bill at the center of the Trump administration’s agenda in a 50-50 vote where the vice president broke the tie.
The West Virginia Democratic party questioned the timing of the nomination news amid the big bill’s passage in a statement headlined “Is Senator Capito Trading Her Vote on Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ for Son’s Appointment?”
Capito has expressed support for the bill for months, emphasizing the extension of the 2017 Trump tax cuts. “I’m excited about what I see,” the senator said in May after the bill passed the House of Representatives.
Capito, the fourth ranking Republican senator, has expressed consistent support for the administration’s agenda, including votes in favor of all of the president’s nominees to cabinet-level positions. Trump has endorsed Capito for re-election in 2026.
“Senator Shelley Moore Capito has my Complete and Total Endorsement for Re-Election – SHE WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN!” the president wrote in a May 16 social media post.
Today, the White House announced the nominations of Matt Harvey and Moore Capito of West Virginia in a list of appointees to several federal positions.
Capito’s social media post praised the nominations of Harvey, currently a local prosecutor in Jefferson County, to be the U.S. Attorney for Northern West Virginia, along with attorney and political figure Moore Capito to be the U.S. Attorney for Southern West Virginia.
“Thrilled and extremely proud that @POTUS has chosen two stellar candidates to be West Virginia’s U.S. Attorneys, Matt Harvey in the Northern District and Moore Capito in the Southern District. I look forward to supporting their quick confirmations so they can get to work on behalf of West Virginia,” the senator posted.
United States attorneys leading district offices are appointed by the president with the advice and consent of the Senate.
Harvey, the Jefferson County prosecutor, has been in that role since 2017. He is chairman of the West Virginia First Foundation, the nonprofit board set up to direct dollars from opioid settlement cases.
“It’s the honor of a lifetime for a prosecutor,” Harvey said of his appointment.
“I wholeheartedly agree with President Trump’s stance on making communities safer by vigorous enforcement of criminal laws and backing our officers. I look forward to leading this office of professionals dedicated to public safety and helping to fulfill President Trump’s commitment to the citizens.”
Moore Capito is a former state delegate who ran unsuccessfully for governor during the last electoral cycle. He is the grandson of former Gov. Arch Moore, a Republican, and a former chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.
Moore Capito is an attorney, currently representing publicly-traded and privately-held clients in corporate mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, as well as business structuring, governance, commercial contracts and real estate transactions.
“Very grateful to President Trump @POTUS for the honor of being nominated to serve in his historic administration as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia. President Trump’s commitment to law and order is making our state safer and stronger,” he wrote in his own social media post.
The West Virginia Democratic Party questioned the timing of the appointment announcement, saying “rumors are rampant that Senator Shelley Moore Capito is ready to trade her support for the bill in exchange for the appointment of her son, Moore Capito, to the powerful U.S. Attorney position in West Virginia.”
“One has to wonder why Senator Capito would be such an enthusiastic cheerleader for a bill that is so devastating to West Virginia and its citizens,” said Mike Pushkin, the state party chairman who served with Moore Capito during his time in the Legislature.
“One logical explanation is that she’s holding out for a deal… her vote in exchange for her son’s political advancement. If so, that’s not public service — that’s corruption.”