Congressional Aide Once Tied to Young Democrats Pictured With Swastika-Laced Flag
A congressional aide to Rep. Dave Taylor (R-OH) is under fire after being photographed in front of an American flag embedded with a swastika during a video call — but records show he was a prominent Democrat activist before joining the GOP office.
The aide, Angelo “A.J.” Elia, had deep roots in Democratic politics in Mahoning County, Ohio. In 2022, he was listed as the president of both the Mahoning County Young Democrats and Youngstown State University College Democrats. Just two years earlier, Elia was officially affiliated with the county’s Young Democrats.
Ironically, the Mahoning County Young Democrats had once mocked Trump supporters in 2017 by posting a meme with a sign reading “Insecure, Small Penised, White Guys for Trump!”
Now, the same organization is calling for the resignation of Republican figures tied to controversial group chat messages — distancing themselves from anything associated with extremism.
Elia’s professional background includes working for Blue Phoenix Strategies, a Democrat-aligned consulting firm focused on opposing Republican-backed voter ID laws and advocating for abortion access and marijuana legalization. A November 2023 Facebook post from the firm celebrated ballot victories on both those issues in Ohio.
One image from the firm shows Elia promoting Democrat candidate Chris Colon, a township trustee hopeful who openly advocated for increasing immigration to fill local job vacancies. “We know that immigrants and refugees can be a small piece to filling those workforce needs here in the Valley,” Colon said in 2024.
Elia’s bio on the Blue Phoenix site described him as an “Associate Consultant” and detailed his upbringing in a working-class family, his experience in organizing, and his senior-year status at Youngstown State.
The photo at the center of the current controversy shows Elia in Rep. Taylor’s D.C. office, with what appears to be an American flag altered to include a swastika design woven into the fabric. Taylor, who hired Elia in January 2025, called the display “office vandalism” and condemned it outright.
“I am aware of an image that appears to depict a vile and deeply inappropriate symbol near an employee in my office,” Taylor said. “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’s office did not respond to further comment requests, nor did Elia.
Sean Kennedy of Virginians for Safe Communities first flagged Elia’s political history, prompting questions about how someone with such a background ended up working for a Republican congressman.
Fox News’s Chad Pergram reported that sources close to the situation described the symbol as difficult to detect — not readily visible to the naked eye but showing up clearly on video and in still photographs.
“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.”
Capitol Police and internal office investigations are ongoing.