Bernie Sanders defends Maine Senate hopeful amid Nazi tattoo scandal

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is strongly backing Maine Democrat Graham Platner, a first-time Senate hopeful facing outrage over a Nazi-style tattoo and resurfaced posts on Reddit.

Sanders, in an interview with Axios, blamed the media for the furore over the tattoo and Platner’s deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, where he said he went through a difficult chapter in his life.

“I’m not too impressed with a media crew that rushes to ask ‘what do you think of Graham Platner’s chest tattoo,'” Sanders told Axios. “The Axios Show.”

U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner, Democrat of Maine, speaks during a town hall at the Franco Center October 15 in Lewiston, Michigan. (Libby Kenny/Sun Journal via AP)

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It was revealed that Platner, a US Navy and Army veteran and oyster farmer, once had a skull tattoo resembling the Totenkopf used by Hitler’s SS paramilitary forces. He has since covered the image with another tattoo.

Meanwhile, posts resurfaced on Reddit show him mocking victims of military sexual assault, criticizing police and making racist comments about tipping. He also said on the social media platform in 2018 that “all” police officers are bastards and called himself a “communist.”

Platner’s campaign was rocked by controversies surrounding the resignation of his political director, former state Rep. Genevieve McDonald, following the Reddit posts — the tattoo controversy came afterward. Platner apologized for both incidents.

A new poll gives Platner a commanding lead among a crowded Democratic field. The University of New Hampshire’s Pine Tree State poll shows 58% of likely Democratic primary voters support him. The poll was taken as the Reddit posts surfaced, and before the tattoo controversy came to light.

Sen. Bernie Sanders blamed the furor on the media and said the public should instead focus on the issues facing ordinary Americans. (Valérie Plesch/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Despite the disarray, Sanders is doubling down on his support for Platner, who is facing a crowded field. He told the outlet that Platner “went through a dark period in his life” regarding online posts.

“I suspect Graham Platner is not the only American who has gone through a dark time,” Sanders said. “What he did was he expressed his darkness on the Internet. That’s probably not a bright thing to do, okay? And he said stupid things, hurtful things. He apologized for them.”

Sanders said the public should instead focus on the issues facing ordinary Americans.

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“I think what we need to do as a nation is not focus on a tattoo,” Sanders said. “We need to focus on a system that in many ways is falling apart.”

Platner said he got the tattoo in 2007 during a “drinking night” while on leave in Croatia from the Marine Corps and claimed he was unaware of its historical associations at the time.

Graham Platner, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Maine, points out a covered tattoo that was previously an image recognized as a Nazi symbol, during an interview Wednesday in Portland, Maine. (WGME via AP)

In a video posted to Instagram on Wednesday afternoon, Platner explained that the design was chosen from a wall of flash tattoos while he was “partying” with his fellow Marines in Split, Croatia.

“We thought it looked cool,” he said.

He said he had “lived a life dedicated to anti-fascism, anti-racism and anti-Nazism” and was “appalled” to learn it sounded like a symbol of hate.

Platner said he covered the symbol with a Celtic knot and images of dogs, a tribute to his pets. He told the Associated Press that he chose to cover it up instead of removing it because there were no moving services near his home in rural Maine.

“It represents so much more of who I am now than even the skull,” he said in the video, lifting his shirt to reveal the new tattoo.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is endorsing Maine Gov. Janet Mills for the Senate seat. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

In Reddit posts, Platner allegedly asked, “Why don’t black people tip?” in response to a thread asking, “What’s the one question you’ve always wanted to ask someone of another race?” according to GTME.

He also argued that if people “hope to fight fascism without a good semi-automatic rifle, they should read a little history.” And in another article he declared: “an armed working class is a necessary condition for economic justice.”

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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is endorsing Maine Gov. Janet Mills for the Senate seat in the race to take on longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine.

The University of New Hampshire’s Pine Tree State poll shows Mills with 24 percent of likely voters and just 1 percent for any other candidate. Around 14% remain undecided.

Meanwhile, Collins leads the GOP field with 66% support, according to the poll.

Jasmine Baehr and Paul Steinhauser of Fox News contributed to this report.