Gitlab commit API - base64 data not writing to image

I am trying to upload an image to Gitlab via base64. Everything works fine (correct path, correct branch, filename, etc) but the image data is not being written and displays as broken.

I am using Axios to accomplish this my request.

var header = {
    'PRIVATE-TOKEN' : 'SuP3rS3Cr3T0kN'
};    

var commit = {
    branch: "master",
    commit_message: 'some message',
    actions: [
        {
            action: "create",
            encoding: "base64",
            file_path: 'images/' + filename,
            content: imgData
        }
    ]
};

axios.post('https://gitlab.com/api/v4/projects/'+ self.project.id +'/repository/commits', commit ,{
    headers: header
})
.then(function(res){
    console.log(res.data)
})
.catch(function(err){
    console.error(err);
});

Here is the example base64 data I am trying to write

data:image/jpeg;base64,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

I found that removing data:image/jpeg;base64, solved the problem as gitlab does not parse this for you.