Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) on Wednesday called on President Trump to punish a GOP congressional staffer who was found in possession of a U.S. flag bearing the swastika.
The symbol was discovered inside of Rep. Dave Taylor’s (R-Ohio) Washington, D.C., office while the staffer was on a Zoom call.
“Please notify President Trump and Vice-President Vance immediately. Isn’t this a mandatory one-year jail sentence—or is this a kind of flag desecration they have no problem with?” Raskin, who is Jewish, wrote in a Wednesday post on the social platform X.
His comments follow an August executive order signed by Trump that pushes for the Justice Department to “vigorously prosecute those who desecrate” the American flag because of the act’s likelihood “to incite imminent lawless action.”
“You don’t get 10 years, you don’t get one month,” Trump said after signing the order, although the executive order’s text does not outline exact punishment.
“You get one year in jail, and it goes on your record, and you will see flag burning stopping immediately,” he added.
The order contrasts with a 1989 Supreme Court ruling that burning the American flag is an act of political expression protected by the Constitution.
While Trump did not respond to Raskin, Capitol Police were called to investigate the contents of Taylor’s office on Wednesday.
“I am aware of an image that appears to depict a vile and deeply inappropriate symbol near an employee in my office,” Taylor, who is in his first term, 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,” Taylor said. “No further comment will be provided until it has been completed.”
The discovery in his office came just a day after Politico uncovered a Young Republicans group chat in which members joked about gas chambers, slavery and rape.
Source: The Hill - News
