International: The Graham Platner tattoo controversy erupted after images resurfaced showing the Maine Senate hopeful’s skull-and-crossbones tattoo, which critics claim mirrors Nazi iconography.
Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner is facing a growing storm over a tattoo that resembles a Nazi symbol.
Platner has apologized, saying he had no idea of the symbol’s connection to Nazism when he got it nearly two decades ago and has promised to remove it.
Platner appeared shirtless in a campaign video, revealing a tattoo on his chest that resembles the Totenkopf, a skull and crossbones emblem historically used by Nazi police and later adopted by white supremacists.
According to Platner, he had no knowledge of the tattoo’s Nazi association when he got it while drinking with fellow Marines in Croatia nearly twenty years ago.
“It was not until reporters and DC insiders pointed it out that I realized this tattoo resembled a Nazi symbol,” Platner said in a statement to POLITICO.
“I absolutely would not have gotten this tattoo had I known that — and I am already planning to have it removed.”
Platner emphasized that the tattoo was never questioned during his military service or his Army physical exams, which screen for hate symbols.
He also noted that he passed a full background check for a security clearance to join the U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan’s security detail.
However, the tattoo controversy intensified when his former political director, Genevieve McDonald, accused him on Facebook of knowing “damn well” what the tattoo signified.
McDonald, a former state lawmaker, resigned from Platner’s campaign last week following the emergence of his past controversial Reddit posts.
A report by Jewish Insider added fuel to the Graham Platner tattoo scandal, claiming that an acquaintance once heard him refer to the tattoo as “my Totenkopf.”
The term “Totenkopf”, German for “death’s head” is widely recognized as a Nazi-associated image, according to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).
Platner’s campaign declined to confirm whether he had ever used that term. This is not the first time the Graham Platner controversy has made headlines.
Just last week, Platner apologized for offensive Reddit posts from 2013 and 2018, which included remarks minimizing sexual assault in the military and calling for violence as a means of social change.
Platner attributed those posts to a difficult period in his life after serving in the military, saying they do not reflect who he is today.
Despite the backlash, some of Platner’s political allies remain supportive. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who recently endorsed Platner, defended him, saying, “He went through a dark period.
He has apologized for the hurtful remarks, and I’m confident he will run a great campaign and win.”
As the Maine Senate race heats up, the Graham Platner tattoo controversy poses a significant test for his campaign’’’s image management.
Platner maintains that his focus is on serving the people of Maine and moving forward from what he calls “a painful and regretful mistake.”