Democratic Official Asked to Resign After 'Stand for the Flag,' 'Kneel at the Cross' Facebook Posts Surface

NFL Kneeling
From left: Eric Reid and Colin Kaepernick of the San Francisco 49ers kneel in protest during the national anthem in Santa Clara, California, on September 12, 2016. A Pennsylvania Democrat was asked to resign from... Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

A Democratic county official in Pennsylvania claimed he was forced to resign from the party after he posted on Facebook that he "[stands] for the flag."

Mark Salvas said he was asked to resign following two social media posts: one he posted in 2017 and another his wife posted in July. Salvas, a former Marine and Gulf War veteran, was hired in September as executive director of the Allegheny County Democratic Party.

The appointment came months after Salvas posted a photo of himself with his wife along with the caption, "I stand for the flag, I kneel at the cross." He was reportedly forced to step down just weeks after he was hired.

Salvas told Pittsburgh's KDKA News that the party chair asked for his resignation "due to the controversy that was taking place on social media." He added, "It's never easy when people you have never met accuse you of things and call you names, and you've never met them."

"I'm not ashamed of my patriotism, not one bit. I fought for this country. I think I have a right to have a voice and be patriotic," Salvas said.

Salvas insisted that NFL players had the right to take a knee during the national anthem. "That's part of what the flag stands for. It gives them the right to do that," he said. However, he said he chose to stand for the flag and kneel for the cross.

Salvas was also criticized for his wife's post asking for support for the family of East Pittsburgh police officer Michael Rosfeld, who was accused of killing unarmed teenager Antwon Rose II.

"This whole entire situation is awful for all involved," read the post by Cindy DeZort-Salvas, according to WESA. "But I personally know this family, and they are good people. Family helps family. They were there for me and I am there for them."

Salvas echoed his wife's words in his interview with KDKA.

"What happened to Antwon Rose was a tragedy. I don't think anybody doubts that. I think we can all agree on that. A young man lost his life, and that's a shame," Salvas said. "Officer Rosfeld, Michael Rosfeld, is as close to me and my family as anyone could be. I have known that young man since he was literally 3 years old. They are family to us."

He continued, "They have been there for us in hard times, and my wife and I felt it was necessary to be there for them, because family backs family."

The Allegheny County Democratic Committee did not immediately respond to Newsweek'srequest for comment.

However, Pennsylvania Representative Ed Gainey called the posts "insensitive" to African-Americans who supported the Democratic Party. "If you're going to be executive director of the Democratic Party, you have to be sensitive to things like that," Gainey told KDKA.

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Nicole Rojas is a Breaking News Reporter for Newsweek. Nicole previously worked at International Business Times UK, where she covered breaking ... Read more

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