Bernie Sanders ‘absolutely’ sticking by US Senate candidate after Nazi tattoo revelation

A progressive Jewish senator states that Graham Platner from Maine went through a “dark period” in his life and criticises the media for asking about the SS tattoo that has subsequently been changed.
JTA — Several of Graham Platner’s left-leaning allies cut ties with him when he said this week that he had a Nazi-inspired tattoo on his chest for almost twenty years. Platner is competing for the Democratic nomination for the US Senate in Maine.

One who hasn’t: Vermont’s Jewish senator, Bernie Sanders.

This week, the senior statesman of the progressive movement told Axios, “I’m not too impressed by a group of media people running around asking, ‘What do you think about the tattoo on Graham Platner’s chest?'” “Between you and me, there may be one or two more important things.”
Sanders also indicated that he “absolutely” stood by his support for Platner. Axios planned to air the whole interview with Sanders on Friday, but they posted parts of it on social media.

Since Platner, a Marine veteran and oyster farmer, declared his Senate run this August, Sanders has been supporting him. Platner’s anti-establishment program, which includes supporting many progressive ideals that Sanders helped make famous, has made him a growing sensation even though he has no political experience. Platner has also been very harsh on Israel.
That popularity took a hit when it was revealed that Platner had made rude comments about different groups in old Reddit posts. Platner then tried to get ahead of the opposition by showing off his skull-and-crossbones breast tattoo, which looked like an SS Totenkopf. He claims he paid for it in 2007 while “drunk” with other Marines in Croatia and didn’t know it was connected to Nazis (but later reports have said he knew it was a Totenkopf).

Platner said on Monday, “I’m not a secret Nazi.” At first, he didn’t say sorry or say he would take off the tattoo.

After the news, Sanders told Axios that he was still “impressed by the guy.”
9, 2025. (Screenshot from X; Kent Nishimura/Getty Images via JTA)
JTA — Several of Graham Platner’s left-leaning allies cut ties with him when he said this week that he had a Nazi-inspired tattoo on his chest for almost twenty years. Platner is competing for the Democratic nomination for the US Senate in Maine.

One who hasn’t: Vermont’s Jewish senator, Bernie Sanders.

This Thursday, the senior statesman of the progressive movement told Axios, “I’m not too impressed by a group of reporters running around asking, ‘What do you think about the tattoo on Graham Platner’s chest?'” “Between you and me, there could be one or two more important things.”

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Sanders also claimed he “absolutely” stood by his support of Platner. Axios planned to air the whole interview with Sanders on Friday, but they posted parts of it on social media.

Since Platner, a Marine veteran and oyster farmer, declared his Senate run this August, Sanders has been supporting him. Despite not having any political experience, Platner is becoming a rising hero because of his anti-establishment program, which contains many of the progressive principles that Sanders helped make popular. Platner has also been very severe on Israel.

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That popularity took a hit when Platner’s old Reddit posts came to light, in which he made fun of different groups. Platner then tried to get ahead of the opposition by showing off his skull-and-crossbones breast tattoo, which looked like an SS Totenkopf. He claims he paid for it in 2007 while “drunk” with other Marines in Croatia and didn’t know it was connected to Nazis (but later reports have said he knew it was a Totenkopf).

Platner said on Monday, “I’m not a secret Nazi.” At first, he didn’t say he was sorry or that he would take off the tattoo.

In an old video that Platner himself uploaded, Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner shows off a Totenkopf tattoo on his chest. People often think of the Nazi SS when they see the skull and crossbones insignia. (YouTube screenshot from JTA)
Sanders told Axios that he was still “impressed by the guy” after the news came out.

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“He went through a lot of hard things in the military as a machine gunner, like watching his friends die. He will admit that…” I’m not telling you what he doesn’t say; he had PTSD,” the senator said. “He went through a dark time in his life.” I think Graham Platner isn’t the only American who has had a hard time.

Sanders then tried to make a distinction between criticising Platner and voting for Donald Trump as president. “I think we need to forgive a little as a country, especially since our president was found guilty of 14 felonies,” he remarked.

He wasn’t the only notable progressive Jew who had remained in Platner’s corner since the tattoo discovery. Jon Lovett, a former Obama official and co-founder of the left-wing podcast “Pod Save America” and the media organisation Crooked Media, has said that Platner’s progressive critics are asking for “only perfect candidates off the Harvard Law conveyor belt.” (Platner showed off his Nazi tattoo on an episode of “Pod Save America.”)

Lovett said in a follow-up post on X on Wednesday, “Of course he SHOULD answer for that tattoo.” “He’s explained the story, how it wasn’t flagged as a hate symbol when he entered the army or when he received a security clearance. He’s apologized and covered it up. Maybe it’s not enough. Maybe you don’t believe him.”

After some people pushed back, Platner did cover up the tattoo with a different pattern that he called a “Celtic knot with some pictures of dogs around it.”

In a tweet and video he shared to social media Wednesday, the candidate raised his shirt to expose his new tattoo and expressed sorry that the old one might have prompted parallels to Nazis.
“I just found out that it looks a lot like a symbol that neo-Nazis use, and I want to make it clear that it was not my intention at all. Platner stated, “And the thought that I was going around with something like that terrifies me.” “I know that symbols like this can hurt people a lot, and the fact that I had it all these years and it could have been read that way is very scary.”

“I have lived a life dedicated to fighting fascism, racism, and Nazism,” he said. I believe that racism and antisemitism have been a problem in our culture and politics for a long time, and I don’t think they belong in our globe.

Platner suddenly changed course and said that “the establishment” was trying to kill his movement by keeping people busy with other things.

He stated, “Every second we spend talking about a tattoo I got in the Marine Corps is a second we don’t talk about Medicare for All or raising taxes on the rich.”
Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, another well-known Jewish senator, spoke out about Platner’s tattoo by endorsing him in the election, something he had been avoiding until this week. He is supporting Janet Mills, who used to be the governor of Maine, and says she is “the best candidate to retire Susan Collins.”

A recent poll, done just before the tattoo news came out, showed that Platner is far ahead of Mills among Democratic voters.

Platner’s opponents have also started to make fun of the controversy: Jordan Wood, a former aide to a congressman who is also running in the primary, posted on social media to “fess up” that he has a tattoo of Barack Obama’s presidential campaign emblem. He posted on Instagram, “I got this tattoo a few years ago to remind me of what hope and a good vision can do in our politics.” He ended with a jab at Platner: “And yes, I knew what it was when I got it.”

Platner has promised to stay in the race, even though he is angry. He declared again during a gathering in Ogunquit on Wednesday night that he didn’t know what his tattoo meant.

He said, “If they thought that tearing my life apart and trying to kill me would scare me off, they clearly haven’t spent much time around Marines.”

Source:https://www.timesofisrael.com/bernie-sanders-absolutely-sticking-by-us-senate-candidate-after-nazi-tattoo-revelation/

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