Doug Mastriano, the Republican nominee for governor of Pennsylvania and a state senator, appeared in a faculty picture at the Army War College dressed in a Confederate soldier’s uniform, according to a copy of the photo obtained by Reuters.
Reuters first obtained a copy of the photo from the War College, which is located in the borough of Carlisle, Pa., following a Freedom of Information Act request. The news outlet reported that the photo is of the 2013-2014 faculty in the Department of Military Strategy, Plans, and Operations, where Mastriano worked at that time.
Mastriano is seen wearing a gray uniform and cap and holding a long Civil War-era gun.
Reuters reported that people familiar with the photo said faculty were allowed to dress as historical figures for the picture at the time. One person in the photo is holding an aviator’s helmet, and at least one other person in the photo is clearly dressed up, but Mastriano is the only one wearing a Confederate soldier’s uniform.
Mastriano’s campaign and the War College did not immediately return requests from The Hill for comment.
Confederate statues and symbols around the U.S. have received national scrutiny in recent years, especially since the 2015 shooting at a Black church in Charleston, S.C. The shooter promoted white supremacist views and posted Confederate battle flags online ahead of the shooting.
Reuters reported that the photo showing Mastriano in the uniform was removed from the wall where it hung with other annual faculty photos after the outlet requested the picture.
The Pentagon effectively banned the displaying of the Confederate flag in July 2020 by not including it in an updated list of flags that are allowed. This decision came in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man who was killed in police custody in Minneapolis.
The military has also sought to remove other segregationist symbols since rolling out the policy, Reuters reported.
The War College told Reuters that school officials reviewed all art, texts and images shown at the college in 2020 but missed the photo with Mastriano.
The college told Reuters that the photo was removed because it did not meet its values.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, the Democratic nominee for governor, tweeted that Mastriano wore the “uniform of traitors” who fought to defend slavery. He said it is “deeply offensive” and shows that he is unfit to be governor.
