Democratic Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner said he plans to remove his tattoo after learning of its resemblance to a Nazi symbol.
“It was not until I started hearing from reporters and DC insiders that I realized this tattoo resembled a Nazi symbol,” Platner told Politico in a statement 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,” he continued.
The Senate Republicans’ campaign arm on Tuesday accused Platner of donning a “Nazi tattoo.” The tattoo resembles a Totenkopf, which is German for “death’s head” and was a symbol adopted by Adolf Hitler’s troops in Nazi Germany, according to the Anti-Defamation League’s website.
While a general skull and crossbones is not considered a hate symbol, the Totenkopf has been used by neo-Nazis and white supremacist groups and is considered a hate symbol.
But Platner defended himself in an interview Monday on the liberal podcast “Pod Save America,” saying he didn’t know of the Nazi link when he got the tattoo.
“I am not a secret Nazi,” Platner told co-host Tommy Vietor during a conversation about since-deleted Reddit posts in which the Mainer described himself as a “communist” and called police officers “bastards.”
“I think you can pretty much figure out where I stand on Nazism and antisemitism and racism in general,” he added. “I would say a lifelong opponent.”
The tattoo controversy sparked after a family video surfaced online showing Platner shirtless, wearing “Marine Corps running shorts” and singing. A tattoo on his chest is visible. The Maine Democrat added that the video is from his brother’s 2007 wedding in Croatia, where he serenaded the couple with a lip-synced version of Miley Cyrus’s “Wrecking Ball.”
“Now of course, that embarrassment, which was mostly just held internally in the family as we always watched that video at family events and laughed, is now shared with the world,” Platner said. “I feel like I’m just going to give them a wedding gift for the rest of my life.”
Jewish Insider reported Tuesday that a former acquaintance recalled Platner stating on at least one occasion that he knew what the tattoo represented.
“He said, ‘Oh, this is my Totenkopf,’” the former acquaintance told JI. “He said it in a cutesy little way.”
The Hill has not independently verified the reporting. Platner’s campaign did not immediately respond to request for comment.
