Amid Army Rebuttal, Doug Mastriano Changes Social Media Photos

PENNSYLVANIA — Republican gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano has altered his social media profile photos to include a disclaimer that his campaign is not endorsed by the U.S. Army or Department of Defense. The change comes after the U.S. Army contacted him about his usage of the Army insignia and uniform in his campaign.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the U.S Army said they had notified Mastriano's campaign "and advised them of the rules for imagery use contained within the DoD Directive and Army Regulation.”

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The profile photo on one of Mastriano's campaign pages, "Doug Mastriano Fighting for Freedom," now includes a note at the bottom saying "Doug Mastriano is a Ret. member of the U.S. Army. Use of his job titles, military rank, & photographs in uniform does (sic) not imply endorsement by the Dept. of the Army or the DOD."

Part of a similar note appears under his Twitter profile photo, but it was cut off as of early Monday afternoon, and the full disclaimer is not visible.

The Army said they reached out after they were notified of the imagery by an outlet. While the Army did not specify the outlet, Pittsburgh's NPR affiliate 90.5 took responsibility.

A retired colonel, Mastriano's service record is deeply tied to his campaign, and he consistently shares photographs of himself in uniform while serving in Afghanistan. Mastriano has also made foreign policy and the military central to his gubernatorial campaign, and issued a statement Monday afternoon marking the anniverary of the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan.

"The sadness is still palapable and real," he said of the "botched" withdrawal's impact on the people of Afghanistan. "Yet, this pales in comparison to the grief of the families of the 2,312 Americans who lost their lives throughout the war, the anguish of the 20,066 who were wounded, and the 13 marines who were killed during the chaotic exit."

According to an average of recent polls from RealClearPolitics, Democratic candidate Josh Shapiro holds a 5.7 point lead over Mastriano.