Last week, Pennsylvania Republican candidate for governor Doug Mastriano announced a “#NewProfilePic” on Twitter and one on his Facebook page. In both, he’s in a collared short-sleeve shirt – not a military uniform.
But in profile photos previously posted on his social media pages, Mastriano, who is running for governor against Democratic Attorney General Josh Shapiro, has been pictured in what appeared to be camouflage and a formal uniform.
After the change, NBC10 reached out to the U.S. Army to inquire about the use of photos of Mastriano in uniform and whether he had been contacted about them. A spokesperson for the Army, Matt Leonard, told NBC10 that the Army contacted the campaign about rules regarding the use of “imagery” by members of the armed forces, which also apply to retired members.
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“A review may be initiated by the Army when a member of the public notifies the Army about a potential violation, or an Army official identifies an issue,” Leonard said in an emailed statement. “The Army contacted Mr. Mastriano’s campaign staff and advised them of the rules for imagery use contained within the DoD Directive and Army Regulation.”
Leonard did not respond to a follow-up question about when that contact took place and whether the campaign is currently in compliance with the directive. Leonard also said a member of the news media “notified the Army about the campaign’s use of imagery.” He did not say when that notification happened or which outlet it involved.
In his email, Leonard referred to “DOD Directive 1344.10” and said “any military information posted by a military member not on active duty, must be accompanied by a prominent and clearly displayed disclaimer that neither the military information nor the photographs imply endorsement by the Army.” The policy requires that disclaimer to be prominently displayed “which at a minimum, may be included within the profile,” he said. The policy does not require a disclaimer on each post, he said.
According to the directive, candidates for office are allowed to reference their former military duty along with other biographical information. They are not allowed to use photos of themselves in uniform as the “primary graphic representation in any campaign media,” according to the directive posted on a Department of Defense website.
Mastriano is a retired Army colonel, according to his campaign website. At the bottom of the site, a disclaimer states “Use of his military rank, job titles, and photographs in uniform does not imply endorsement by the Department of the Army or the Department of Defense.” NBC10 does not know if that language appeared on the site since its creation or if was later added.
Mastriano’s campaign did not respond to an email from NBC10 seeking comment.
