The Missouri Republican Party said it is working to remove a Republican candidate for governor after it was revealed he has ties with the Ku Klux Klan, and was seen in a photo giving a Nazi salute while standing in front of a burning cross.

Darrell Leon McClanahan III filed for Governor as a Republican despite his affiliation with the Ku Klux Klan, which fundamentally contradicts our partys values and platform, the Missouri GOP said in a statement Thursday. We have begun the process of having Mr. McClanahan removed from the ballot as a Republican candidate, the statement added.

In a photo first uncovered by the Anti-Defamation League in 2022, McClanahan can be seen standing next to a robed member of the KKK in a 2019 photo, giving a Nazi salute with the member while a cross burns behind them.

McClanahan, who has attempted to run for multiple seats of office including a failed bid for U.S. Senate , said in a failed lawsuit against the ADL last year that the cross-burning was instead a Christian Identity Cross lighting ceremony, the Riverfront Times reported .

The lawsuit added that McClanahan is not a full member of the KKK, but instead has been provided an Honorary 1-year membership to the group.

In its statement, the Missouri GOP said they condemn any association with hate groups and are taking immediate action to rectify this situation.

In a post on X, McClanahan said the Missouri GOP knew exactly who I am and called them a bunch of Anti-White hypocrites.