Jon Husted, the Republican senator from Ohio, terminated his political director Stephen Woytek following revelations about the aide’s social media activity. Woytek, 25, had been appointed to the position last month during Husted’s competitive re-election campaign against former Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown, according to reporting by the Washington Post.
Investigations revealed that Woytek’s Facebook profile displayed imagery of Nazi SS soldiers and indicated he followed LAH Living History Unit, a military re-enactment group that portrays the 1st SS Panzer division, also known as the Leibstandarte. The group’s website describes itself as non-political and claims to disavow the persecution that occurred during World War II, though it characterizes the Leibstandarte as exemplifying “dedication to duty” and “loyalty.”
Additional online activity attributed to Woytek included a Spotify playlist titled “Tales from Rhodesia” containing pro-Rhodesia songs, some with language offensive to African populations. A Quora account bearing his name contained responses suggesting positive aspects of Hitler’s rule, specifically referencing an anti-smoking campaign. Photos shared by LAH showed Woytek in 2018, at age 16, wearing an SS uniform at a location displaying Nazi flags.
In response, Husted’s campaign stated the senator “demands better” of his representatives and emphasized that the decision to separate from Woytek was made immediately upon learning of the social media activity. The campaign did not address questions regarding vetting procedures prior to Woytek’s appointment. Woytek issued a statement rejecting Nazi ideology and attributing his participation in historical re-enactments to educational interests, stating he should have “exercised better judgment when posting about my activities online.”
The incident follows other controversies involving Republican staff members’ online conduct. Georgia Republican congressman Mike Collins’ Senate campaign experienced disruption after an aide was removed over involvement in a chat group with white supremacist connections.
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