Senator Axes Staffer Over Shocking Nazi Photo from Teen Years

You don’t get to put Nazi SS soldiers on your Facebook profile and then act surprised when it follows you into adulthood. Even if it was a “teen years” stunt, it’s the kind of stunt that tells everyone around you something is off. Campaigns run on trust and judgment. When you’re the political director, that’s the whole job.

Husted’s team didn’t drag this out. They “parted ways” on Friday once the report hit. That’s the right call, and it’s the fast call. Republicans do not need to be in the business of litigating whether an SS photo was “ironic,” “edgy,” or “a joke.” Normal people hear “SS profile picture” and they’re done. So should we be.

Here’s the part that matters politically: this race was already going to be a knife fight with Sherrod Brown and the national press circling. Don’t hand your opponents a gift basket. One staffer’s bad judgment can become a week of coverage, donor panic, and defensive talking points that have nothing to do with inflation, the border, or Ohio families.

If Woytek wants to explain himself, he can do it somewhere that isn’t on a U.S. Senate campaign. The standard for a serious operation is simple: no weird extremist flirtations, no “teenage mistake” that looks like a worldview, and no distractions that drown out the message. Clean house and move on..