"I am not a secret Nazi": Maine Senate candidate responds to tattoo accusations
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Photo: Graham Platner for U.S. Senate
Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner fended off allegations he harbors racist views after a video revealed what appears to be a Nazi symbol tattooed on his chest.
Why it matters: Platner drew the backing of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) as an anti-establishment outsider, but his campaign is already trying to clean up recently resurfaced Reddit posts where he espoused offensive views about Black people and sexual assault victims.
- Platner's campaign shared video with Pod Save America of him singing shirtless that exposed a skull tattoo on his chest that resembles the "Totenkopf," a symbol used by Hitler's Schutzstaffel (SS).
- The move was intended to get ahead of opposition research, and the GOP's Senate campaign arm seized on the images, accusing Platner of having a "Nazi tattoo."
Driving the news: Platner said in an interview with Tommy Vietor of Pod Save America that was released on Monday that the video was from his brother's wedding, where he lip-synced Miley Cyrus' "Wrecking Ball."
- "I am not a secret Nazi," Platner told Vietor, adding that he got the tattoo in Croatia while deployed and was "very inebriated." Platner said he and his fellow Marines chose "a terrifying looking skull and crossbones."
What he's saying: In the years since, Platner said, he joined the Army National Guard, where he said he "got a security clearance and a full screen" to be on the detail for the ambassador to Afghanistan. The Army bans tattoos that are "extremist, racist, sexist, or otherwise indecent."
- Platner said that at no point "did anybody ever once say, 'Hey, you're a Nazi.' It never came up until we got wind that in the opposition research somebody was shopping the idea that I was a secret Nazi with a hidden Nazi tattoo."
Zoom out: An ADL spokesperson said in a statement provided to Axios that it "appears" to be a Nazi Totenkopf tattoo, which they described as "troubling," if true.
- But they added, "[w]e do understand that sometimes people get tattoos without understanding their hateful association. In those cases, the bearer should be asked whether they repudiate its hateful meaning."
Flashback: In 2021, the Department of Defense updated its procedures for reviewing "questionable tattoos" that could suggest "propensities to extremism and violence," establishing a partnership with the FBI.
- The Pentagon has been aware of the dangers of white supremacist extremism in its ranks for years.
Catch up quick: Platner had already posted a video apologizing for his offensive Reddit posts. He blamed the comments on a period when he was "struggling deeply" after returning from overseas service.
- "For those of you who have read these things and been offended, have read these things and seen someone that you don't recognize, I am deeply sorry," he said.
- According to reports, the posts included asking "Why don't black people tip?" and said sexual assault victims should "take some responsibility for themselves and not get so f–ked up they wind up having sex with someone they don't mean to?"
What we're watching: Some Democrats stood by Platner and praised his apology.
- Sanders told reporters Tuesday he still stands by Platner.
- But EMILYs List President Jessica Mackler, whose group has backed Maine Gov. Janet Mills in the race, called his comments "unacceptable and disqualifying," Axios' Holly Otterbein and Alex Thompson report.
Axios' Holly Otterbein contributed to this report.
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