Republican Rep. Dave Taylor said Thursday that his office was targeted as part of an elaborate “ruse” after an American flag reportedly altered to include a swastika was found in his Washington, DC, office earlier this week and that similar flags have been found in other Republican offices.
“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. My office was among those that were subjected to this ruse,” the Ohio congressman said in a statement Thursday.
Taylor did not provide any evidence or name the other offices he said were affected. No other GOP offices had come forward publicly as of late Thursday to report similar incidents.
He said he is “confident” that none of his staffers “would knowingly display such a despicable image.”
The congressman on Wednesday said his office was conducting an internal investigation into the incident alongside US Capitol Police.
CNN reached out to Capitol Police for additional details. In response, the agency sent an autoreply that its public information office is closed for routine business during the government shutdown.
The congressman has refrained from identifying the symbol on the flag as a swastika, instead describing it as a “vile” symbol. But Politico reported Wednesday that USCP was called after an American flag altered to include a swastika was found inside Taylor’s office in Washington, DC.
CNN’s Annie Grayer contributed to this report.
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