Rep. Dave Taylor (R-Ohio) blamed an “unidentified” group or person Thursday for the American flag emblazoned with a swastika pictured in his office – claiming that the Nazi symbol was initially not visible to the “naked eye.”
The sickening flag — with red and white stripes twisted to form the emblem of the Third Reich — was prominently pinned on a cubicle wall behind staffer Angelo Elia during a virtual meeting Tuesday, Politico reported, prompting Taylor and Capitol Police to launch an investigation.
“Numerous Republican offices have confirmed that they were targeted by an unidentified group or individual who distributed American flags bearing a similar symbol, which were initially indistinguishable from an ordinary American flag to the naked eye,” Taylor said in a statement.
“My office was among those that were subjected to this ruse.”
“After a full-scale internal investigation, I am confident that no employee of this office would knowingly display such a despicable image, and the flag in question was taken down immediately upon the discovery of the obscured symbol it bore,” the congressman added.
Taylor said he would continue to work with Capitol Police and the House Administration Committee “to uncover additional details in this investigation.”
Capitol Police did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
An image of the vile flag was first shared by Ohio blogger DJ Byrnes on social media.
It showed Elia on a video call with the red and white swastika, right in the center of the American flag, hanging behind him beside a pocket Constitution and a congressional calendar.
“A friend in DC had a Zoom call with Congressman Dave Taylor’s office today … Taylor’s legislative correspondent, Angelo Elia, had what can only be described as an American swastika flag prominently displayed in his background,” Byrnes wrote on X, Wednesday afternoon.
Sources described the swastika as an “optical illusion” and “easy to miss,” according to Fox News.
The Nazi symbol was “more visible when captured on video or by a still photo,” the outlet reported, noting that dozens of congressional offices received similar flags early in the year.
However, one office that received the flag said the swastika on it was so apparent that they immediately threw it away.
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