An American flag emblazoned with a swastika was pictured inside Ohio Rep. Dave Taylor’s (R-Ohio) office in Washington, DC – a shocking find that comes immediately after thousands of vile texts between leaders of Young Republican groups were exposed.
Taylor urged Capitol Police to investigate after the sickening flag – with red and white stripes twisted into the Nazi symbol – was prominently pinned on a cubicle wall behind staffer Angelo Elia during a virtual meeting Tuesday, Politico reported, sharing an image of the distorted emblem.
“I am aware of an image that appears to depict a vile and deeply inappropriate symbol near an employee in my office,” the Republican lawmaker said in a statement.
“The content of that image does not reflect the values or standards of this office, my staff, or myself, and I condemn it in the strongest terms. Upon learning of this matter, I immediately directed a thorough investigation alongside Capitol Police, which remains ongoing.”
The statement did not mention if the staffer was axed or what role he had in the incident.
The congressman believes the flag — spotted in his office located in DC’s Cannon Building — could be the result of “foul play or vandalism,” a spokesperson told the outlet.
The explosive photo, first shared by Ohio blogger DJ Byrnes on social media, shows Elia on a video call with the hateful 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. pic.twitter.com/zFn3QowS0c
— The Rooster (@rooster_ohio) October 15, 2025
“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 said in an X post Wednesday afternoon.
Elia, who also goes by AJ, earned a master’s degree in legislative affairs from The George Washington University in May, and has served as a legislative correspondent in Taylor’s office since January, according to his LinkedIn.
Capitol Police did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment. Elia couldn’t immediately be reached.
The disturbing discovery comes just after leaked Telegram group chats revealed Young Republican leaders exchanging abhorrent messages allegedly calling black people monkeys, praising Hitler, and speaking explicitly about raping their enemies and driving them to suicide, Politico reported Wednesday.
The leak exposed some 2,900 pages of alleged chats among a dozen group leaders, showing them using racial slurs and mocking Jewish people and the Holocaust.
In one ugly exchange, the then chair of New York’s Young Republicans at the time, Peter Giunta, reportedly said, “I love Hitler” in response to a message from the chair of the Kansas Young Republicans.
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