The Pentagon is investigating two Army soldiers who appeared in uniform behind delegates in a Democratic National Convention video who announced they were voting for Joe Biden, numerous sources reported.
The delegates from American Samoa stood in front of the U.S. Army reservist soldiers during Tuesday’s roll call, and both soldiers wore their uniforms, which is prohibited when attending a partisan political event according to Army protocol, a statement said according to Reuters.
American Samoa delivers its delegate votes at the #DNCConvention with what appears to be two uniformed service members in the background, which is potentially a problem. pic.twitter.com/RG581SWZTo
— Leo Shane III (@LeoShane) August 19, 2020
“Wearing a uniform to a partisan political event like this is prohibited,” the Army said in a statement.” The Army follows the Department of Defense’s longstanding and well-defined policy regarding political campaigns and elections to avoid the perception of DoD sponsorship, approval or endorsement of any political candidate, campaign or cause,” it added. (RELATED: Here’s What You Missed From The Second Night Of The Democratic National Convention)
While military service members are allowed to publicly support political candidates, they must only do so in their private time and never in uniform.
Democrats have expressed concern in the past with President Donald Trump and the GOP for using the military as a token to win votes, but the Tuesday incident could draw criticism that the DNC is trying to do the same thing for Joe Biden, according to Newsweek.
An unnamed defense official told ABC News that there are political restrictions on covering all active and reserve troops, so it is an unsolved question how the soldiers appeared on the DNC video.