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Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is standing agency behind Maine Democrat Graham Platner, a first-time Senate hopeful going through outrage over a Nazi-style tattoo and resurfaced Reddit posts.
Sanders, in an interview with Axios, blamed the media for the fury in regards to the tattoo and Platner’s deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, the place he stated he went via a difficult chapter in his life.
“I am not overly impressed by a squad of media working round saying, ‘what do you consider the tattoo on Graham Platner’s chest,’” Sanders advised Axios on “The Axios Present.”
U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner, D-Maine, speaks at a city corridor on the Franco Heart, Oct. 15, in Lewiston, Me. (Libby Kenny/Solar Journal through AP)
DELETED POSTS URGING VIOLENCE HAUNT DEMOCRATIC SENATE HOPEFUL IN MAINE RACE
It was revealed that Platner, a U.S. Marine and Military veteran and oyster farmer, as soon as had a skull-and-crossbones tattoo resembling the Totenkopf utilized by Hitler’s SS paramilitary forces. He has since coated the picture with one other tattoo.
In the meantime, resurfaced Reddit posts present him showing to mock navy sexual assault victims, criticize police and make racially charged feedback about tipping. He additionally stated on the social media platform in 2018 that “all” police are bastards and referred to as himself a “communist.”
Platner’s marketing campaign has been rocked by the controversies along with his political director, former state consultant Genevieve McDonald, resigning within the aftermath of the Reddit posts — the tattoo controversy got here after. Platner has apologized for each incidents.
A brand new ballot exhibits Platner with a decisive lead amongst a crowded Democrat area. The College of New Hampshire’s Pine Tree State ballot exhibits 58% of doubtless Democrat major voters again him. The ballot was taken throughout which the Reddit posts had been surfacing, and earlier than the tattoo controversy got here to mild.
Senator Bernie Sanders blamed the media for the fury and stated the general public ought to concentrate on the problems going through abnormal Individuals as an alternative. (Valerie Plesch/Bloomberg through Getty Photographs)
Regardless of the disarray, Sanders is doubling down on his help of Platner, who’s contesting a crowded area. He advised the outlet that Platner “went right into a darkish interval in his life” concerning the web posts.
“I believe that Graham Platner isn’t the one American to have gone via a darkish interval,” Sanders stated. “What he did was he expressed his darkness on the web. Most likely not a superb factor to do, alright? And he stated issues which might be silly, issues that had been hurtful. He has apologized for them.”
Sanders stated the general public ought to concentrate on the problems going through abnormal Individuals as an alternative.
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“I believe what we have now obtained to do as a nation isn’t concentrate on a tattoo,” Sanders stated. “We have got to concentrate on a system which in some ways is collapsing.”
Platner stated he obtained the tattoo in 2007 throughout a “evening of ingesting” whereas on depart in Croatia within the Marine Corps and claimed he didn’t know its historic associations on the time.
Graham Platner, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Maine, factors to a coated tattoo that had beforehand been a picture acknowledged as a Nazi image, throughout an interview on Wednesday in Portland, Me. (WGME through AP)
In a video posted to Instagram Wednesday afternoon, Platner elaborated that the design was chosen from a flash tattoo wall whereas “carousing” with fellow Marines in Break up, Croatia.
“We thought it seemed cool,” he stated.
He claimed he had “lived a life devoted to anti-fascism, anti-racism and anti-Nazism” and was “appalled” to be taught it resembled a hate image.
Platner stated he had the image inked over with a Celtic knot and imagery of canines, a tribute to his household pets. He advised The Related Press he opted to cowl it as an alternative of eradicating it as a result of there have been no elimination providers close to his house in rural Maine.
“This much more represents who I’m now than even the cranium and crossbones did,” he stated on the video, lifting his shirt to disclose the brand new tattoo.
Senate Majority Chief Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is backing Maine Gov. Janet Mills for the Senate seat. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Photographs)
Within the Reddit posts, Platner reportedly requested, “Why don’t black folks tip?” in response to a thread asking, “What’s one query you may have all the time needed to ask somebody of one other race?” in response to WGME.
He additionally argued that if folks “anticipate to battle fascism and not using a good semi-automatic rifle, they should do some studying of historical past.” And in one other submit, he stated, “an armed working class is a requirement for financial justice.”
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Senate Minority Chief Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is backing Maine Gov. Janet Mills for the Senate seat within the race to tackle longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine.
The College of New Hampshire’s Pine Tree State Ballot exhibits Mills with 24% of doubtless voters and simply 1% for another candidate. About 14% stay undecided.
In the meantime, Collins dominates the GOP area with 66% help, in response to the ballot.
Fox Information’ Jasmine Baehr and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
