Audience members at the Conservative Political Action Conference were spotted waving Russian flags emblazoned with President Trump’s name while he gave his speech on Friday.
It’s unclear who exactly handed out the flags or whether they were distributed in support or protest of the Republican President — though several online reports suggest the flags were a prank.
The banners were very quickly confiscated by White House officials working the event, Peter Hamby with Snap Inc. reported. He said “a young man in a suit” was handing the banners out before Trump’s speech.
CPAC attendees told Politico’s Tim Alberta they’d thought the person handing out the flags was a staffer.
“They saw red, white & blue — with ‘TRUMP’ stamped across it — and started to wave them,” he tweeted. “Gave no thought to Russian flag, they all said.”
Organizers reportedly told audience members anyone caught waving or holding the flags would be kicked out.
An attendee from San Francisco told The Hill he wanted to hold onto the Trump flag as a souvenir, but said no one has a sense of humor anymore.
The Trump administration has repeatedly come under fire for its cozy relationship with Russia. The President’s national security adviser, Michael Flynn, resigned just last week after leaks revealed he discussed Russian sanctions with an ambassador before Trump took office, then lied to the Vice President about the phone call.
