Navy investigating SEALs unit that rode with Trump flag in Kentucky convoy
The Navy is investigating after one of its elite SEALs units was recorded on video flying a blue Trump flag from the back of a Humvee on a Kentucky highway.
The video was shot Sunday on I-65 near Louisville and shows the Trump flag flapping in the wind from the back of a Humvee that was in a convoy with seven other Humvees, according to local reports.
The unit is part of the Naval Special Warfare Group 2 assigned to Fort Knox, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported Thursday.
The Defense Department initially told the paper the convoy wasn’t connected to an active military unit.
A spokeswoman for the SEALs unit , Lt. Jacqui Maxwell, told local media the flag violated Navy rules because of its political nature.
“DOD and Navy regulations prescribe flags and pennants that may be displayed as well as the manner of display. The flag shown in the video was unauthorized,” she said, according to The Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk, Va.
Maxwell described the investigation as a command inquiry that could lead to punishment if warranted. She also said it wasn’t immediately clear if those involved were SEALs or support staff.
The Navy repeatedly warned personnel against appearing to endorse a candidate in an official capacity, the paper reported.
The Herald-Leader on Monday posted on its website video of the convoy on I-65 that was shot by a goat farmer from Shepherdsville, Ky.
“I just thought it was just a bunch of military vehicles,” Steve Thompson told the paper. “I was surprised because I figured you wouldn’t be able to fly anything on a Humvee other than an American flag.”
The paper reported Thursday that a Kentucky-based anti-Trump group was one of the first to post video of the incident on its website, calling it “a fascist tactic” that “is not acceptable. RESIST!!!”
The paper also reported that many Trump supporters took to social media to say that nobody should be punished for showing their support for the nation’s commander-in-chief.
