Congressional Aide Pictured With Swastika Flag Was A Longtime Democrat

An aide to Ohio Congressman Dave Taylor had an American flag with a swastika on it behind him during a video conference, Politico reported Wednesday. The aide, Angelo “A.J.” Elia, was a Democrat activist until recently, and ironically served as a leader of his county’s Young Democrats group just a few years ago.

A May 2022 news article listed Elia as “Mahoning County Young Democrats and Youngstown State University College Democrats president.” In 2020, Elia was a member of the Mahoning County Young Democrats.

A friend in DC had a Zoom call with Congressman Dave Taylor’s office today…

Taylor’s legislative correspondent, Angelo Elia, had what can only be described as an American swastika flag prominently displayed in his background. pic.twitter.com/zFn3QowS0c

— The Rooster (@rooster_ohio) October 15, 2025

In 2017, the Mahoning County Young Democrats posted a picture depicting a false flag operation that with rally goers holding a sign that said “Insecure, Small Penised, White Guys for Trump!”

This week, the Mahoning County Young Democrats posted a message from the national group that “calls for the immediate resignation of the Young Republican leaders” involved in the Politico story about offensive messages in a group chat. “At Young Democrats of America, we hold our leaders and members to a higher standard,” it said.

According to his LinkedIn, which lists his pronouns, Elia worked for Blue Phoenix Strategies until December 2023. During that time period, the firm was working against “voter restrictions…enacted by the republicans in Ohio’s government” that could hurt “POC throughout the state.” On November 8, 2023, it posted on Facebook: “We did it, Ohio!” celebrating the passage of ballot initiatives for “abortion rights” and to “legalize marijuana.”

Another Facebook post by the firm shows Elia holding a sticker for candidate Chris Colon, a social worker who founded an NGO and was running for Liberty Township trustee. In a 2024 WFMJ article, Colon said his goal was to bring immigrants to Ohio to take jobs. “We’re trying to bring people into our workforce specifically,” he said. “We know that there are jobs here in the Mahoning Valley and we know that immigrants and refugees can be a small piece to filling those workforce needs here in the Valley.”

Elia’s bio on the firm’s website said “Growing up in a working-class family A.J. understands the effect politics has on working people.” It listed him as “Associate Consultant” and said he was a senior at Youngstown State University.

Taylor called the flag “office vandalism,” saying in a statement: “I am aware of an image that appears to depict a vile and deeply inappropriate symbol near an employee in my office. 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.”

Taylor hired Elia in January 2025. Taylor’s spokeswoman did not return a request for comment, nor did Elia. The staffer’s background was first flagged by Sean Kennedy of Virginians for Safe Communities.

EXCLUSIVE & Weird… the Swastika Flag GOP Hill staffer Angela “AJ” Elia was president of College Democrats at Youngstown State University, treasurer of Mahoning County Young Dems, & political consultant to progressive pro-amnesty candidate… as of 2023.
[Links below] pic.twitter.com/YyOP2M2LQ3

— Virginians 4 Safe Communities (@VA4SafeComm) October 16, 2025

Fox News’s Chad Pergram reported this week that several sources told him the flag might have been an “optical illusion” and “easy to miss.”

Swastika” Flag In Office of Rep. Dave Taylor (R-OH) May Be An “optical illusion” and “easy to miss”

The weird story about an aide to Rep. Dave Taylor (R-OH) having a flag in his Capitol Hill office with a swastika on it, has just gotten weirder.

Multiple sources tell Fox –…

— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) October 16, 2025

“Multiple sources tell Fox — including those investigating the issue – the flag in question is an American flag — but with a swastika embedded into the ink or weaving,” Pergram wrote on X. “And here’s the strange part: the swastika is not obvious to the naked eye. But is more visible when captured on video or by a still photo.

Related: Virginia Dems Say ‘Our Democracy’ Depends On Voting For Candidate Who Fantasized About Assassination