TOWSON, Md. (WBFF) — A Republican challenger is escalating pressure on Maryland Gov. Wes Moore to release his full military record, turning a long-running question about transparency into a potential flashpoint in the 2026 governor’s race.
John Myrick, a Prince George’s County federal contracting consultant seeking the GOP nomination, told Spotlight on Maryland he will fully open his own military file to the public and is challenging Moore to do the same.
The move reframes an ongoing dispute over Moore’s lack of transparency into a direct political contrast. One Republican candidate is offering unrestricted access to his records, while the Democratic incumbent continues to withhold his records and has repeatedly refused to answer Spotlight’s questions about his military service.
“Maryland voters need to be informed about the candidates [who] are seeking offices at all levels,” Myrick said. “That’s the only way you can actually make sure you’re getting representation that actually meets your needs.”
Myrick made his case publicly this week, backing it up with a formal authorization sent to Spotlight on Maryland Friday morning, granting media outlets full access to his military records.
“I have no problem releasing my full military record to any news outlet that requests it,” Myrick said, adding that he would do so “whenever you want it.”
Maryland Republican gubernatorial candidate John Myrick sent Spotlight on Maryland on Friday, April 24, 2026, an ‘Authorization for Release of Military Records,’ and demanded that Gov. Wes Moore, the state’s Democratic incumbent, do the same. (Spotlight on Maryland)
The authorization allows the National Personnel Records Center and the Air Force to release his complete Official Military Personnel File, including DD-214 and DD-215 forms, citations and records tied to combat and non-combat deployments.
“Iauthorize the National Personnel Records Center, a branch of the National Archives and Records Administration, to release to any authorized media outlet upon presentation of this Authorization, all of my military records,” Myrick wrote.
I also hereby authorize the U.S. Department of the Air Force to release to any authorized media outlet, upon presentation of this Authorization, any records pertaining to combat and non-combat service or deployments,” Myrick added.
Myrick, who describes himself as a “decorated combat veteran,” said he served 23 years in the Air Force, including as a flight engineer aboard a C-5 Galaxy aircraft and later in intelligence work with the Defense Intelligence Agency at the Pentagon.
He is now calling on Moore to match that level of disclosure.
ALSO READ | As Wes Moore demands transparency, his own records remain hidden
Besides Myrick, businessman and Baltimore Blast owner Ed Hale also served in the military. Spotlight on Maryland will have more coverage next week on Hale’s records.
Historically, military service is often viewed as a cornerstone of public trust and carries particular weight when candidates highlight it as part of their qualifications for political office.
Scrutiny intensifies when inconsistencies are discovered, and when records remain hidden, and questions remain unanswered.
Questions about Moore’s military background have circulated for years, but have resurfaced in recent months as requests for his full record remain unresolved.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 09: Wes Moore, Governor of the State of Maryland and a potential future presidential candidate, greets supporters during the National Action Network (NAN) annual convention on April 09, 2026, in New York City. The 2026 annual convention of NAN brings politicians, civil rights leaders, community advocates, and others together for four days of discussions and panels. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
To date, 34 documents related to Moore’s military service have been obtained through a public records request filed with the Army.
The governor’s office has provided one additional document directly. But a broader request from Spotlight on Maryland—seeking full military, academic and athletic records—has been pending for months without resolution.
When pressed in March, Moore defended his approach.
“We continue to show transparency on everything and all things,” Moore said during an unrelated news conference in Hagerstown.
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Moore has repeatedly framed transparency as a core principle of his administration, including shortly after his November 2022 election when he appeared at a news conference with then-Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican.
“This is going to be an administration that is going to be transparent,” Moore said at the time.
Despite those assurances, the requested records have not been released.
HAGERSTOWN, MARYLAND – MARCH 23: Maryland Gov. Wes Moore arrives for a roundtable on March 23, 2026 in Hagerstown, Maryland. Moore and Rep. April McClain-Delaney (D-Md.) held a meeting with Washington County community leaders to discuss their concerns about a planned U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention warehouse near Williamsport, Maryland as part of the Trump administration’s expansion of holding facilities across the country. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
To his boss’s defense, Ammar Moussa, Moore’s press secretary, said in March, “We’ll come back to you with those records.”
Our team and your team are in active negotiations,” Moussa said. “We will come back to you.”
Spotlight on Maryland does not negotiate terms of release, and “active negotiations” never occurred.
A request for comment sent Friday through Moore’s campaign, asking why the records have not been fully released, was not acknowledged.
Moore is scheduled to appear Friday on “Real Time with Bill Maher,” which airs at 10 p.m. on HBO. The show is taped weekly on Friday mornings at CBS Television’s studios in Los Angeles, according to the show’s website.
Myrick rejected the idea that his push is purely political, arguing the issue goes to the core of public trust.
“I think it does [matter], and it matters because integrity matters,” Myrick said. “We are asking people to trust us with governing the State of Maryland. So integrity is a big issue.”
“If there are questions about somebody’s background, especially their military record, those questions need to be resolved,” Myrick added. “Marylanders have a right to know.”
Send news tips about this story or others to gmcollins@sbgtv.com or contact Spotlight on Maryland’s hotline at (410) 467-4670.
Follow Gary Collins on X and Instagram. Spotlight on Maryland is a collaboration between FOX45 News, WJLA in Washington, D.C., and The Baltimore Sun.
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