Jon Husted fires campaign staffer over Nazi imagery

Republican Senator Jon Husted has terminated the employment of his political director, 25-year-old Stephen Woytek, following reports of controversial social media activity.

Investigations by The Washington Post revealed that Woytek previously used a photograph of SS soldiers from the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler division as his Facebook profile picture. Additionally, Woytek was linked to a public Spotify playlist celebrating Rhodesia, a defunct white-minority-ruled nation often associated with white supremacist movements. Reports also indicated Woytek’s involvement with military reenactment groups that portray Nazi units.

A spokesperson for Husted stated that while Woytek is a U.S. Army lieutenant who studies military history and denies negative intent, his social media activity showed a “complete lack of judgement and disregard for its impact on others.” The decision to part ways comes amidst a closely contested Senate race in Ohio between Husted and Democrat Sherrod Brown.