Veterans criticize Doug Mastriano for wearing 'the uniform of traitors' after a photo of him in a Confederate outfit surfaces

• Nearly 60 veterans signed a letter criticizing Doug Mastriano for wearing a Confederate uniform.
• Mastriano, a Pennsylvania Republican, wore the uniform in a faculty photo for the US Army War College.

Nearly 60 veterans have signed an open letter circulated by Democrats that criticizes Doug Mastriano for wearing a Confederate outfit in a 2014 photo at the US Army War College, slamming the Trump-backed Pennsylvania Republican for wearing "the uniform of traitors."

As Reuters reported in August, Mastriano — a state senator running for governor – chose to wear the Confederate uniform for a faculty photo at the US Army War College.

A retired Army colonel, Mastriano and others in the photo were given the option of dressing up as a historical figure, though no others chose the garb of the rebel military.

In the letter released Monday by the campaign of Democrat Josh Shapiro, 59 veterans say they were "deeply disturbed" by the photo

"His decision to wear that uniform is an insult to those of us who served and those who continue to serve on behalf of the United States of America," the letter states.

Signatories include two elected Democrats, Rep. Conor Lamb and state Rep. Jared Solomon, as well as Patrick Murphy, who served as under secretary of the US Army under former President Barack Obama.

"Hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians fought against the Confederacy to preserve the union and abolish slavery," the letter continues. "We believe Doug Mastriano does not embody the values of the United States armed services."

Mastriano's campaign did not respond to a request for comment from Insider.

The Confederacy's lingering legacy

The release of the 2014 photo came as the US military itself grapples with the legacy of the Confederacy.

In a recent report, a commission tasked with addressing that history recommended that US military academies remove names and monuments honoring those who fought for slavery, noting that most were adopted in the 20th century and recommending that they be replaced with the "greatest examples" of the armed forces' past.

After the Mastriano photo was revealed, the US Army War College told Reuters that it had "since been removed" from a wall of faculty photos "because it does not meet [our] values."

Mastriano has battled claims of extremism since winning the GOP nomination with the help of former President Donald Trump.

After the 2020 election, Mastriano led the charge to discount President Joe Biden's victory in Pennsylvania, becoming the Trump campaign team's "point person" for a scheme to appoint fake electors to overturn the results. He later used campaign funds to bus protesters to Washington on January 6.

More recently, Mastriano was criticized by Democrats and some Republicans for his association with Gab, a social media platform favored by far-right extremists. Mastriano paid the site $5,000 and praised its founder, Andrew Torba, an anti-Semite who identifies as a Christian nationalist.

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