A Hand-Drawn Swastika Was Found Inside Homeland Security Headquarters

The Office of Inspector General has launched an investigation into the Nazi symbol discovered inside the government building.

The Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General has launched an investigation after a hand-drawn swastika was found inside the agency’s Washington headquarters Friday, the agency confirmed.

“This display of hate and cowardice does not represent the dedicated hardworking men and women of the Department of Homeland Security,” agency spokesperson Andrew Meehan said in a statement.

The swastika drawing, the symbol of the Nazi fascist party, was first reported by CNN.

Staffers in the St. Elizabeths building were notified about they drawing via email from Brian Murphy, principal deputy undersecretary for the Office of Intelligence and Analysis.

“First, I want to repeat what (Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis David Glawe), the Secretary and many others in the Department have said in the past: there is no room in the workplace for such symbols of hate,” Murphy wrote in the email obtained by CNN. “And there is no room in the workplace for those who ascribe to such a thing.”

DHS confirmed the discovery in a statement Friday night, saying it had been referred to the Office of Inspector General, which provides oversight of the agency, “to ensure that swift and corrective action is taken.”

Homeland Security is the Cabinet department that oversees US Citizenship and Immigration Services, Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, TSA, FEMA, and other agencies.

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