Officials at Alaska's famed Denali National Park are coming under fire after allegedly telling park construction crews not to fly the American flag.
Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, wrote a letter to National Park Service Director Charles Sams demanding an explanation for officials' alleged actions at Denali National Park, noting that the alleged demand for construction equipment The removal of the flag from the bridge took place on the “eve of Memorial Day weekend.”
The claim appears to have originated in a report by the Alaska Watchman, a local conservative news outlet that cited an anonymous construction worker at the park. Fox News Digital has not been able to independently verify the details of the report, but a National Park Service official disputed the account.
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This view shows Denali, formerly known as Mount McKinley, in Denali National Park, Alaska. (Lance King/Getty Images/File)
In his letter, Sullivan said one of the construction vehicles involved in the project had a 3-by-5-foot American flag attached to it, but for “reasons that remain unclear, someone from the National Park Service (NPS) caused the construction “. crew to remove the American flag.”
“This is a scandal, particularly in the run-up to our most solemn national holiday, Memorial Day, a time when Americans come together to honor those who gave their lives in service to our nation, while wearing the flag of our country,” Sullivan wrote. . “The American flag, especially on Memorial Day weekend, should be celebrated, not censored, by federal government employees.”
The Alaska senator noted that he could not find regulations prohibiting the flying of American flags on public lands, arguing that such regulation would be strange given that the purpose of national parks is “the enjoyment of American citizens.”
Senator Dan Sullivan (Brandon Bell/Pool/Getty Images/File)
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Sullivan concluded by demanding that Sams investigate the incident and take steps to “ensure that an incident like this does not occur again in American national parks.”
This view shows the landscape near Denali, Alaska, on September 17, 2019. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
A spokesperson for the National Park Service told Fox Digital that the incident never occurred.
“Reports that a National Park Service (NPS) official ordered the removal of an American flag from a Denali bridge construction worker's vehicle in Denali National Park are false,” Peter Christian said in a statement. “At no time did an NPS official attempt to ban the American flag from the project site or associated vehicles.”
The flag flies throughout the park and the NPS has no authority over the contractors, he said.
“The NPS does not administer the bridge project contract nor does it have the authority to enforce any terms or policies related to the contract or the contractors performing the work,” Christian said. “The American flag can be seen in various locations within Denali National Park – on park facilities and campgrounds, on public and private vehicles, and at employee residences – and we welcome its display this weekend. Memorial Day and every day.”
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The incident also sparked an apparent protest from Alaska residents, who organized a “patriotic flag convoy” from Fairbanks to Denali National Park on Sunday. The protest, which was organized on Facebook, had as of Sunday morning 23 confirmed participants and more than 100 interested parties.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been updated with comments from the National Park Service.
