Maine Dem Senate says Jewish leaders find his Nazi graffiti excuse ‘very reasonable’
WASHINGTON — Maine Senate hopeful Graham Platner is unapologetic about a Nazi-related painting he was caught with last year, and he says Jewish leaders are buying his excuse for it.
Platner, a Democratic candidate for the Senate and previously apologized for the ugly ink on his chest, said the headlines left voters with the impression that his tattoo was linked to the Nazis.
“I had a meeting in New York not long ago with a lot of Jewish leaders, and we started talking about it, and when we started, someone said, ‘Wait a minute.
“When I explain the real story, almost everyone says again, ‘That seems like a lot of sense.'”
The oyster farmer and long-time marine said he found the drawing, which looked like the Totenkopf or “death’s head” symbol used by the Nazi SS secret police, in Croatia while drunk in 2007.
The left-leaning Dem insisted he’s “not a secret Nazi.” Last fall, he got a tattoo on it of what he described as a “Celtic knot with a picture around dogs.”
At first, Platner was very apologetic about the tattoo. But during his interview with the progressive company published last week, he hit a snag.
“I’ll be honest: The more they keep talking about it, the more I start talking about how I got that because I was a Marine. That’s why I got that,” he said.
“The war I participated in, in Iraq, that resulted in me and other gunners getting a skull and crossbones tattoo. If we want to continue talking about my military service, I’m very happy.”
At one point during the interview, Platner praised the film “Come and See,” a 1985 Soviet film about resistance to Nazi forces during World War II. That blur features the Totenkopf logo prominently on other uniforms.
“There is no such thing as an anti-war film, except ‘Come and See.’ Everyone should watch ‘Come and See,’” he told the outlet.
Platner’s excuse for having a Nazi tattoo has long been his contention that he didn’t know what it was.
“It wasn’t until I first heard from reporters and DC insiders that I realized that this painting is like a Nazi symbol,” Platner told Politico in October. “I wouldn’t have lived with this on my chest if I had known that – and to say that I did is disgusting.”
Platner’s former confidante told The Jewish Insider that Platner bragged about it at a DC bar in 2012, saying, “Oh, this is my Totenkopf.”
“He said it in a small way.”
Platner was also found to have discussed Totenkopf in a Reddit post seven years ago, and his former political director later said the oyster farmer was “a military history buff,” and “knew d — well what that meant,” per Politico.
Last year, Reddit and other social media posts were unearthed that showed Platner saying “Police are badass.
Platner also wondered why black people “don’t suggest anything.” He has apologized for those past posts.
He is running against Maine Governor Janet Mills (D) in the Democratic primary to challenge incumbent Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) in November.
The Post has contacted Platner’s campaign for comment.
