Mich. Police Officer Suspended After Driving With Confederate Flag Around Trump Protesters

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A Michigan police officer has been suspended with pay after he was seen off-duty driving a pickup truck with a Confederate flag around a group of people protesting Donald Trump's presidential election win, the Associated Press reports.

Traverse City Police Chief Jeff O'Brien announced Officer Michael Peters' suspension Sunday. O'Brien said that an internal investigation will start Monday to see whether Peters broke any departmental rules.

"He is not working as a police officer," O'Brien told the Traverse City Record-Eagle. "I do not condone his actions."

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According to the Record-Eagle, Peters drove a Confederate-flag-bedecked truck to a Nov. 11 "Love Trumps Hate" rally before parking and drinking a beer.

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O'Brien acknowledged that Peters' behavior was intimidating and not a reflection of the department's mission.

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"We will get through this," O'Brien said. "The community will get through this."

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Read more at ABC News and the Traverse City Record-Eagle