--- title: "Ohio Senator Jon Husted fires staffer over Nazi imagery" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/ohio-senator-jon-husted-fires-staffer-over-nazi-imagery" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/ohio-senator-jon-husted-fires-staffer-over-nazi-imagery" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/ohio-senator-jon-husted-fires-staffer-over-nazi-imagery.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/ohio-senator-jon-husted-fires-staffer-over-nazi-imagery" category: "Politics" area: "United States" published: "2026-09-11T23:25:30.403Z" source_reported: "2026-09-11T22:43:02.932Z" updated: "2026-09-11T23:25:30.403Z" trust_score: 74 critic_score: 95 hype_score: 15 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-09-12T00:15:23.605008+00:00" --- # Ohio Senator Jon Husted fires staffer over Nazi imagery *Political director Stephen B. Woytek dismissed after social media posts surfaced.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 74 of 100, higher is better. Trust 74: multiple named sources and a quoted statement, but only one independent full report. - Craft 95 of 100, higher is better. Critic 95: explains relevance, includes quotes, separates facts, provides specific details and next steps. - Hype 15 of 100, lower is better. Hype 15: headline matches content; no sensational language or clickbait present. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - Ohio Senator Jon Husted dismissed his political director, Stephen B. Woytek, following reports of social media activity featuring Nazi imagery. - Woytek's deleted Facebook profile picture showed SS soldiers, and he created a Spotify playlist titled 'Tales From Rhodesia' that celebrated the former white-minority-ruled state. - Woytek is a 25-year-old lieutenant in the Ohio Army National Guard and a graduate of The Citadel. - The dismissal occurred after The Washington Post reported on Woytek's social media content. Ohio Senator Jon Husted has ended his working relationship with political director Stephen B. Woytek. The decision came after reports surfaced regarding Woytek's social media activity, which included imagery associated with Nazi Germany and content that appeared to celebrate Rhodesia, a former white-minority-ruled state. Woytek's deleted Facebook profile picture reportedly showed SS soldiers holding captured Soviet banners. He also created a Spotify playlist titled "Tales From Rhodesia," which included songs that celebrated the nation before its independence in 1980. According to The Washington Post, Rhodesian symbolism has been embraced by some white supremacist movements. Woytek is 25 years old and serves as a lieutenant in the Ohio Army National Guard. He is also a graduate of The Citadel, a military college. A spokesperson for Senator Husted stated that while Woytek denies negative intent and participates in historical reenactments, his social media activity showed a "complete lack of judgement and disregard for its impact on others." ## Disagreement on attire The Washington Post reported that Woytek wore a Nazi uniform, while Newsweek stated that Woytek participates in historical reenactments while dressed in period uniforms and that he denies Nazi ideology. ## Omissions in coverage None of the left-rated digests mention the specific detail that Stephen B. Woytek was a political director for Jon Husted for Senate since August. ## Who covered it Shares of the 9 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 67% (6) - Centre: 11% (1) - Right: 22% (2) 2 of 11 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-09-12T00:15:23.605008+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 7 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-09-12T01:00:25.819Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - Left-rated reports led on the discovery of Nazi imagery and content celebrating Rhodesia. Multiple outlets highlighted that The Washington Post uncovered the social media activity. Reports mentioned Woytek's role as a lieutenant in the Ohio Army National Guard and his graduation from The Citadel. Some reports noted that Husted's campaign chair had also resigned recently due to other issues, raising questions about the campaign's vetting process. ### Centre - The centre-rated report stated that Senator Jon Husted fired his campaign's political director after discovering the staffer had posted Nazi imagery on social media and made playlists of songs celebrating Rhodesia. It attributed this information to The Washington Sun. ### Right - The right-rated report stated that Ohio Senator Jon Husted "parted ways" with a campaign staffer after it was reported that he had used an image of Nazi soldiers as his Facebook profile picture. It noted that the now-deleted photo showed SS soldiers holding captured Soviet banners, as reported by The Washington Post. The report also mentioned Woytek's role as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army and a graduate of The Citadel, and quoted a spokesperson saying his activity displayed a "complete lack of judgement." **Provisional coverage gap:** right. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - high: 8 - unknown: 3 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [Washington Examiner](https://washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/congressional/4724564/jon-husted-fires-political-director-nazi-imagery) — Jon Husted fires political director after use of Nazi imagery - [MSNBCTV NEWS](https://msnbctv.news/republican-senator-fires-aide-who-used-nazi-soldiers-as-facebook-profile-picture-republicans) — Republican senator fires aide who used Nazi soldiers as Facebook profile picture - [Political Wire](https://politicalwire.com/2026/09/11/jon-husted-fires-political-director-over-past-nazi-posts) — Jon Husted Fires Political Director Over Past Nazi Posts - [Newsweek](https://newsweek.com/republican-senator-part-ways-top-staffer-nazi-profile-photo-12434166) — Republican senator to "part ways" with top staffer over Nazi profile photo - [BizToc](https://biztoc.com/x/1fc092c7d551270c) — Republican Senator to 'Part Ways' With Top Staffer Over Nazi Profile Photo - [washingtonsun.com](https://washingtonsun.com/senate/husted-fires-political-director-over-past-nazi-posts) — Husted Fires Political Director Over Past Nazi Posts - [tiffinohio.net](https://tiffinohio.net/posts/husted-political-director-stephen-woytek-fired-nazi-ss-photo) — Jon Husted political director out over Nazi SS photo, second campaign exit in two months - [Raw Story](https://rawstory.com/jon-husted-2677849073) — GOP senator's top staffer posted Nazi content — and mourned white supremacist regime - [Joe.My.God.](https://joemygod.com/2026/09/husted-campaign-chief-had-nazis-as-profile-photo) — Husted Campaign Chief Had Nazis As Profile Photo - [The Washington Post](https://washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/09/11/ohio-senate-campaign-staffer-used-nazi-soldiers-profile-photo) — Ohio Senate campaign staffer used Nazi soldiers as profile photo - [Mediaite](https://mediaite.com/media/news/gop-senator-fires-campaign-staffer-after-wapo-flags-nazi-profile-photo) — GOP Senator Fires Campaign Staffer After WaPo Flags Nazi Profile Photo ## Questions **Why was Stephen B. Woytek fired?** Stephen B. Woytek was fired from his role as political director for Ohio Senator Jon Husted after reports surfaced of his social media activity. This activity included a deleted Facebook profile picture showing SS soldiers and a Spotify playlist celebrating Rhodesia. **What is known about Stephen B. Woytek's background?** Stephen B. Woytek is 25 years old and serves as a lieutenant in the Ohio Army National Guard. He is also a graduate of The Citadel, a military college. He had been working for Senator Husted's campaign since August. **What was the nature of Woytek's social media posts?** Woytek's deleted Facebook profile picture reportedly showed SS soldiers holding captured Soviet banners. He also created a Spotify playlist titled 'Tales From Rhodesia' that celebrated the former white-minority-ruled state, which has been associated with white supremacist movements. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/ohio-senator-jon-husted-fires-staffer-over-nazi-imagery. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Ohio Senator Jon Husted fires staffer over Nazi imagery", https://mediabias.news/politics/ohio-senator-jon-husted-fires-staffer-over-nazi-imagery