'Rich history!' Trump official defends flag blasted as 'white supremacist'

Small Business Administrator Kelly Loeffler lashed out at Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) on Tuesday after he accused the federal agency of raising a “Christian nationalist, White supremacist" flag at its headquarters earlier this month.

The public back-and-forth began after the agency flew an “Appeal to Heaven” banner – a white flag bearing a green pine tree – alongside a large U.S. flag on June 11 in celebration of Flag Day, Fox News Digital reported Tuesday. The banner dates back to the Revolutionary War, the outlet noted, and Loeffler defended the flag’s “rich history,” which she also praised as “AMERICAN MADE!”

Markey went on record slamming the display in a June 25 letter, calling it "inappropriate at a federal government institution,” and a symbol tied to extremism.

"Our federal institutions must remain above ideological influence,” the Massachusetts lawmaker wrote, adding that the SBA “should not be associated with symbols that are increasingly viewed as partisan or extremist, or that promote hateful rhetoric.”

Loeffler fired back, going after Markey’s “nonchalant observation of Flag Day – which includes a history of leaving your own American Flag lying outside, on the ground, in violation of the U.S. Flag Code," according to Fox News.

She also pointed to Markey’s display of the Massachusetts state flag, which some Native American groups have called a symbol of “slaughter” and “genocide,” and criticized his use of the LGBTQ flag, the report added.

"Clearly, you do not agree with these actions or views, or else I strongly doubt you would continue to showcase the state flag at your offices," Loeffler added in her letter. "Likewise, I do not agree with your characterization of the Appeal to Heaven flag – which has a rich history as an appeal to God to protect our emerging nation’s liberty dating back to its first usage by General George Washington in the Revolutionary War. Its historical connotation – as one of our earliest emblems of freedom and independence – represents principles which the SBA wholeheartedly supports."