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Shocking: Progressive Candidate's Secret Nazi Tattoo Exposed
Progressive Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner faces backlash over Nazi SS 'Death's Head' tattoo revelation, threatening his campaign despite strong fundraising and endorsements.
Progressive Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner, an oyster farmer and military veteran, is grappling with a widening scandal after admitting to having a Totenkopf, the infamous skull-and-crossbones symbol of the Nazi SS, tattooed on his chest for nearly two decades. The revelation, made by the candidate himself in an archival video, has plunged his insurgent campaign into crisis, despite high-profile endorsements and significant fundraising success.
Platner, 41, who has gained traction on the left for his populist stance and his controversial assertion that Israel's campaign in Gaza constitutes "genocide," offered a vigorous defense, claiming he got the tattoo while "inebriated" in Croatia in 2007 and was unaware of its sinister meaning.
"We went ashore in Split, Croatia, myself and a few of the other machine gun squad leaders. And we got very inebriated, and we did what Marines on liberty do, and we decided to go get a tattoo," Platner told "Pod Save America" host Tommy Vietor. He added that they "chose a terrifying-looking skull and crossbones off the wall because we were Marines, and skull-and-crossbones are a pretty standard military thing."
Rising Star Plagued by Past
Since launching his bid for the Maine Senate seat currently held by Republican Susan Collins, Platner has become a favorite in left-wing circles, receiving an endorsement from Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT), who is Jewish, and attracting top-tier political talent. Campaign finance records show his war chest is formidable, leading his Democratic rivals with $3.2 million in contributions as of September 30. His rallying cry, "Our tax dollars can build schools and hospitals in America, not bombs that destroy schools and hospitals in Gaza", has been met with thunderous applause. However, the campaign’s momentum is now overshadowed.
The Totenkopf ("Death’s Head") symbol was used by the Nazi SS division responsible for guarding concentration camps and executing the systematic murder of six million Jews and millions of other victims during the Holocaust.
Jewish Community and Former Staff Condemn Tattoo
The backlash has been swift and severe, extending to the state’s largest Jewish body.
Zach Schwartz, director of the Jewish Community Relations Council for the Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine, expressed deep concern in a statement to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
"This tattoo appears to be a ‘death’s head’ symbol used by the SS, the organization most responsible for the genocidal murder of 6 million Jews," Schwartz stated. "We hope that Mr. Platner would condemn, in no uncertain terms, the meaning behind this tattoo and everything it stands for."
Adding to the candidate's woes, his own former political director, ex-state Senator Genevieve McDonald, resigned last week over the Reddit posts and subsequently took Platner to task over the tattoo on Facebook.
“Graham has an anti-Semitic tattoo on his chest,” McDonald wrote, according to social media screenshots. “He’s not an idiot, he’s a military history buff. Maybe he didn’t know it when he got it, but he got it years ago and he should have had it covered up because he knows damn well what it means.”