US Capitol Police were called after an American flag altered to include a swastika was found on Tuesday, hanging in the office of Rep. Dave Taylor (R-Ohio), according to his spokesperson. Taylor says he was targeted as part of a larger ruse.
The flag was first found on Tuesday and was noticed pinned up behind one of Taylor’s staffers, Angelo Elia, during a video meeting. A photo was taken by a staffer on the call, which was published by POLITICO on Wednesday. Since then, Elia has not responded to requests for comment, and Taylor’s office has not responded to questions on Elia’s employment.
While the Capitol Police were called, they did not share any comments, instead saying that its public information office would not be reopening until the end of the government shutdown.
A GOP Hill staffer not from Taylor’s office did confirm to POLITICO that similar flags were delivered to other congressional offices in February, but stipulated that the flags were obvious enough to be thrown away immediately.
Eric Schmeltzer, a Democratic consultant and former press secretary for Rep. Jerry Nadler, said that even if Taylor himself didn’t see the flag in his office, it was “not at all plausible that every other staffer had no clue that flag was there,” adding, “everyone sees how everyone else has their area decorated.”
This comes only days after the leak of a disturbing group chat involving young republican officials joking about gas chambers, trading slurs, and praising Hitler.