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Democratic Senate hopeful Graham Platner is scrambling after admitting that a chest tattoo once resembling the Nazi Totenkopf — a skull-and-crossbones image tied to SS units — has been covered up, not publicly removed, as the uproar intensified this week. The revelation came as reporters and opposition researchers dug into his past, and voters in Maine deserve to know how a would-be senator thought this could be swept under the rug.
Platner says he got the tattoo in 2007 while serving with Marines and that it was inked during a night out in Croatia, claiming he was unaware of the symbol’s hateful associations until now; his campaign initially said he would remove it but then opted for a cover-up because of rural logistical hurdles. That explanation strains credulity for many Americans who served alongside him and expect better judgment out of military veterans seeking high office, especially when the military itself screens for hate-symbol tattoos.
Leading watchdogs flagged the image as the Totenkopf, and the Anti-Defamation League told reporters the tattoo is troubling and warrants a clear repudiation of any hateful meaning — not a shrug or a rushed cover-up. If a respected anti-hate group is publicly raising alarms, Democrats should stop reflexively protecting their own and answer the hard questions instead of spin-doctoring.
This scandal didn’t appear in isolation: old online posts from Platner resurfaced, with comments dismissing military sexual assaults and making racially insensitive observations, prompting the resignation of a top campaign aide and calls from critics inside his own party to step aside. When a candidate’s past contains both troubling statements and a symbol associated with the worst ideology in history, the public has every right to demand accountability and a full accounting of how he was vetted.
Platner insists he is “not a secret Nazi” and leans on explanations about youthful mistakes and struggles after military service, and even retained some high-profile progressive endorsements as his supporters urge forgiveness. But a straightforward apology and cosmetic cover-up are not the same as transparency, and Maine voters deserve to know if this is the product of ignorance, indifference, or something worse.
Republicans and independents across America should be skeptical of a party that rushes to protect a candidate instead of demanding accountability; conservatives defend real redemption, but not cover-ups. If Democrats want to lecture the country about character and values, they should start by cleaning house when a candidate’s record and symbols raise legitimate concerns rather than hiding behind talking points.
Hardworking Mainers want leaders who show judgment, integrity, and respect for the sacrifices of our armed forces — not candidates who answer critical questions with evasions and tactical ink changes. Voters will remember who demanded the truth and who tried to bury it; in November, that memory will matter at the ballot box.
