Sen. Jon Husted fired his campaign’s political director Friday after discovering the staffer had posted Nazi imagery on social media and made playlists of songs celebrating Rhodesia, an unrecognized south African state often touted by white supremacists.
Stephen Woytek, who joined the Ohio Republican’s campaign last month, had posted profile photos depicting Nazi officers on his Facebook page and published links to a military reenactment group whose members dress up as Nazi officers. Woytek himself is pictured wearing the attire with the members of the group in photos from 2018, when he was 16 years old, according to The Washington Post, which first reported the social media activity earlier Friday.
A campaign spokesperson described Woytek as a “lieutenant in the U.S. Army” who studies military history and routinely “reenacts historical battles,” but said that Husted “quickly” opted to remove him from his staff after learning of the posts.
“While he denies negative intent, [Woytek’s] social media activity displays a complete lack of judgement and disregard for its impact on others,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “Sen. Husted demands better of those who represent him. Upon learning about the social media posts today, Sen. Husted made the immediate decision to part ways.”
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Woytek also maintained public Spotify playlists with songs honoring the now-defunct nation of Rhodesia, which is revered by white supremacists online.
The former staffer expressed in a statement to The Post that he should have exercised better judgment on social media, and did not want to distract from Husted’s race.
“I want to be unequivocal,” Woytek told The Post before he was fired. “I reject the racist and antisemitic ideology the SS and Nazi Germany represented. I believe it is important to educate our younger generations, which is why I participate in historical reenactments.”
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