GOP Staffer Re-Hired After Getting Canned Over ‘OK’ Hand Gesture In Group Photo

Paul Tinkle, a staffer with the Indiana Republican Party, has been given his job back days after being dismissed over a hand sign in a group photo. Party Chairwoman Lana Keesling announced the reversal Monday and publicly apologized, saying she had acted without knowing all the facts, according to Daily Caller.

Tinkle was let go on September 29 for making the "OK" gesture with his fingers. Beginning in 2017, some online commenters asserted the sign was a coded expression of white power, and that people posing with it were signaling racist views. Tinkle maintains he simply meant to look upbeat and was unsure where to put his hands. He posted on X that he was terminated before he had any opportunity to explain himself.

Keesling said she takes full responsibility for a wrong decision, having reached a conclusion the facts did not bear out. She added that she looks forward to Tinkle rejoining the push toward Election Day on November 3. Tinkle thanked the party and supporters, promised a fuller statement later, and urged backing for Max Engling, the party's candidate for Indiana Secretary of State.

Summarized by PolitiKool from Daily Caller’s reporting. Read the full story at Daily Caller →