Senator blasts federal parks officials for reportedly barring American flags in beloved national park

Officials at Alaska’s famed Denali National Park are taking heat after allegedly telling construction crews at the park not to fly the American flag.

Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, penned a letter to National Park Service Director Charles Sams demanding an explanation for the alleged actions of officials at Denali National Park, noting that the alleged demand for the bridge construction crew to remove the flag was made 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 been unable to independently verify the details of the report, but a National Parks 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 that one of the construction vehicles involved in the project had a 3-by-5 foot American flag affixed to it, but for "reasons that remain unclear, someone at the National Park Service (NPS) caused the construction crew to remove the American flag."

"This is an outrage – particularly in the lead-up to our most solemn national holiday, Memorial Day, a time when Americans come together to honor those that gave their lives in service to our nation, while wearing our country’s flag," 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 find no regulations that would prohibit the flying of American flags on public land, arguing that such a regulation would be odd given that the purpose of national parks is for "the enjoyment of American citizens."

Sen. 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 an incident like this does not happen again in American national parks."

This view shows the landscape near Denali, Alaska, on Sept. 17, 2019. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

A National Park Service spokesperson told Fox Digital the incident never happened.

"Reports that a National Park Service (NPS) official ordered the removal of an American flag from a Denali bridge construction worker’s vehicle at Denali National Park are false," said Peter Christian in a statement. "At no time did an NPS official seek to ban the American flag from the project site or associated vehicles."

The flag is flown throughout the park, and the NPS doesn't have any authority over contractors, he said. 

"The NPS neither administers the bridge project contract, nor has the authority to enforce terms or policies related to the contract or contractors performing the work," Christian said. "The American flag can be seen at various locations within Denali National Park – at park facilities and campsites, on public and private vehicles, and at employee residences – and we welcome its display this Memorial Day weekend and every day."

In response to the NPS statement, a spokesperson for Sullivan's office said the senator "stands behind his letter."

"The fact remains that one of his constituents called the senator’s office because the constituent was informed that he had to remove his 3 x 5 American flag after the National Park Service received a complaint about him flying the American flag on his truck," the spokesperson said. "In a conversation this morning, between the Senator and the National Park Service Director, the director committed to providing more details to respond to the questions in the senator’s letter."

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The incident also sparked an apparent protest from Alaska residents, who organized a "patriotic convoy with flags" from Fairbanks to Denali National Park on Sunday. The protest, which was organized on Facebook, had 23 confirmed participants and more than 100 interested as of Sunday morning.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been updated with comment from the National Park Service and Sullivan's office.