Multiple GOP congressional offices reportedly given US flags with embedded swastika

Multiple GOP congressional offices were given U.S. flags with embedded swastikas earlier this year, according to a news report.

Two unnamed Republican sources told NBC News about the flags on Thursday – a day after Ohio GOP Rep. Dave Taylor called the flag with the swastika "a vile and deeply inappropriate symbol" after it was seen in his office, near one of his staffers.

The office of one of the sources received a flag in January, and the source said it was initially difficult to see the swastika with the naked eye, calling it an “optical illusion.” However, when the swastika in the center of the flag was discovered, it was thrown out, according to the source.

Both the U.S. Capitol Police and the House Administration Committee are investigating the matter, after Taylor reported it.

The investigation will seek to determine who handed out the flags to the congressional offices and what the intention was.

A spokesperson for Taylor's office said Capitol Police were called about the flag, which was discovered on Tuesday, and that the congressman thinks the swastika being added is the result of “foul play or vandalism.”

Some Hill staffers told the news outlet NOTUS the swastika, a symbol historically associated with Nazis, was plainly visible.