Polygraph

25-year-old Stephen Woytech, a top campaign staffer for Senator John Husted, cultivated a public playlist of songs celebrating Rhodesia.

Posted by Letters from an American, Checked

Polygraph verdictTrue
Sources
6 support1 context
Said
1 time·
Confidence
68%
Letters from an AmericanSep 13, 2026
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18 claimsThe check →

Multiple outlets citing The Washington Post report that Stephen Woytek, 25, was Sen. Jon Husted's campaign political director and had added songs to a public Spotify playlist, "Tales from Rhodesia," celebrating the white-minority-ruled former country. The claim's spelling "Woytech" and "John" (the sources say Jon Husted) are minor variants of the same people, and the claim matches the passage's wording.

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What was said

… And one of the MAGA Republicans Trump would like to see in Congress, Liz Goodwin of The Washington Post reported yesterday that 25-year-old Stephen Woytech, a top campaign staffer for Senator John Husted, a Republican of Ohio, has recently cultivated a public playlist of songs celebrating the former country of Rhodesia, in which a white minority ruled over a black majority, captioning it, "Homesick for a place that no longer exists." Rhodesia is a rallying cry for white supremacists who deplore the change that created Zimbabwe. …
Letters from an American · · from the transcriptPost →

What we found

Supports. Sources describe Stephen Woytek, 25, as Husted's political director who joined the campaign in August 2026, which fits the claim's "top campaign staffer" description.[1][2][3][4][5]

Supports. Reporting based on Washington Post findings says Woytek added songs to a public Spotify playlist called "Tales from Rhodesia," captioned "homesick for a place that no longer exists," with songs added as recently as the prior month.[3][4][5][6]

Context. The playlist was made private after the Post contacted the campaign, and the campaign said it parted ways with Woytek; Woytek said he rejects Nazi ideology and was participating in historical reenactments.[1][5][7]

Context. The spelling "Woytech" in the claim differs from "Woytek" in every source, and "John Husted" differs from "Jon Husted"; both appear to be the same people, so the claim is graded as referring to them.[1][2][7]

Sources

7 sources: 1 tier 3, 6 not rated

  1. 1GOP senator's top staffer posted Nazi content — and mourned white supremacist regimerawstory.com · tier 3 · cited for: supports, context
  2. 2Sen. Jon Husted campaign staffer out after Nazi-related social ...nbc4i.com · not rated · cited for: supports, context
  3. 3Republican Senator to 'Part Ways' With Top Staffer Over ...newsweek.com · not rated · cited for: supports
  4. 4GOP Senator Fires Campaign Staffer After WaPo Flags Nazi Profile Photomediaite.com · not rated · cited for: supports
  5. 5Reports: Husted's campaign 'parts ways' with staffer who reportedly used Nazi soldiers as profile photoyahoo.com · not rated · cited for: supports, context
  6. 6Husted campaign fires yet another problematic staffertribtoday.com · not rated · cited for: supports
  7. 7Ohio Sen. Jon Husted's campaign fires staffer who posted Nazi photodispatch.com · not rated · cited for: context

Where this claim was made

Said in 1 published post

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