Democratic Senate candidate from Maine, Graham Platner, publicly expressed regret over a tattoo he received nearly twenty years ago that bears resemblance to a Nazi symbol and announced plans to have it removed, reporting Baltimore Chronicle with reference to the original POLITICO coverage.
Platner’s campaign attempted to preempt opposition research regarding the controversial tattoo — which resembles a Nazi skull and crossbones — during his appearance on the progressive podcast Pod Save America on Monday, sharing a video of him dancing shirtless. He stated that he was unaware of any association with Nazi imagery when he first got the tattoo.
“It was not until I started hearing from reporters and DC insiders that I realized this tattoo resembled a Nazi symbol,” Platner said in a statement to POLITICO on Tuesday. “I absolutely would not have gone through life having this on my chest if I knew that — and to insinuate that I did is disgusting. I am already planning to get this removed.”
Platner explained that he received the tattoo while socializing with fellow Marines in Croatia, selecting a skull and crossbones design directly from the wall of the tattoo parlor. At the time, he said, nobody mentioned the similarity to Nazi iconography, including during mandatory U.S. Army physical examinations, which explicitly prohibit tattoos displaying recognized hate symbols.
“In the nearly 20 years since, this hasn’t come up,” Platner said. “I enlisted in the Army, which included a full physical that screens tattoos for hate symbols. I also successfully passed a comprehensive background check to obtain a security clearance for service on the Ambassador to Afghanistan’s security detail.”
The candidate’s decision to remove the tattoo came amid scrutiny and questions, including from a former senior campaign staffer, regarding how Platner could have been unaware of its connotations.
“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,” Platner’s former political director, Genevieve McDonald, wrote on Facebook.
Earlier we wrote that EU Faces Criticism for Pausing Sanctions on Israel Amid Trump Gaza Peace Efforts.
