Indiana GOP fires task force deputy director over OK sign, Turning Point Action steps in and offers him job

A staffer who has been working at the Indiana GOP has been fired after he flashed an "OK" sign with his hand in a photo. According to the staffer, Paul Joseph Tinkle, he got angry texts from Indiana GOP party officials after flashing the innocuous hand gesture, which led to him getting fired. Turning Point Action has since offered him a job.

Tinkle, who reportedly worked as the deputy director for the Republican Party's task force in the Fifth District, said that he was fired over holding up an "OK" sign. Some left-wing groups have claimed the hand gesture is actually a white power dog whistle.

"I wanted to give a career update for my friends and any potential conservative groups looking for an employee. This Tuesday, September 29th, I was fired by the Indiana Republican Party for making an OK symbol with my fingers. Yes, seriously," Tinkle wrote in a post to X.

He said that as he and others were door-knocking for the GOP in Hamilton County, they took group photos and said that he "made an OK sign to convey positive vibes." He added that the "Hamilton county chair believed I was sabotaging his photo with the [ok sign]. The Hamilton county chair reached out to various people, and despite my explanation, I was fired on Tuesday morning."

He said he was never able to defend himself in any meeting and was simply fired. He explained that he had also been an English teacher in Japan, and that the symbol was often used in photos with his students. His posts have since gone viral after he was fired and he got a job offer from TP Action.

After speaking out about the incident, Tyler Bowyer, the chief operating officer at Turning Point Action, posted in response, "Paul, everyone with a brain knows this is a manufactured hoax by the radical democrats to attack Trump & others who have ever make an OKAY sign We’d love for you to come work with us at @TPAction in Indiana & replace the mentally challenged Republicans who fall for this stuff!"

Tinkle said in response that he would be "chatting soon" about the offer.

According to reporting by The Blaze, which first broke the story, Hamilton County Republican Party Chair Mario Massillamany denied that he had a role in Tinkle's firing. "I was not instrumental in getting him fired," he said. "I have had nothing to do with firing him." He also claimed, "I did not know what his sign was."

However, Tinkle had a different version of the events that played out. "I was told Mario's really angry. He's reached out to people [at] the top of the party," Tinkle told the outlet. "I didn't get to explain to anybody in person. I didn't get to talk to Mario. I didn't get to talk to the Republican chair."

The outlet also reviewed texts that Tinkle received from a supervisor that said, "Mario thinks you dropped a white power symbol and no one will be able to convince him otherwise."

Massillamany has previously talked about how diverse and female candidates are important to his political ideology. When The Blaze tried to talk about DEI with the GOP county chairman, he hung up the phone.