Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is refusing to drop his adamant support for Democratic Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner despite revelations that the candidate’s chest tattoo appears to be connected to Nazi symbolism.
Platner has denied that the tattoo is related to Nazism in any way, though its skull and crossbones appears to resemble the German SS Totenkopf emblem. Sanders, who caucuses with Democrats, became Platner’s most high-profile endorser just days after the oyster farmer announced his campaign to oust Republican Sen. Susan Collins.
“There’s a young man who served his country in Afghanistan and Iraq, and he went through some really difficult experiences seeing friends of his killed or whatever, and in spite of all of that he had the courage to run,” Sanders told reporters Tuesday. “I personally think he is an excellent candidate and will support him, and I look forward to him becoming the next senator from Maine.”
The lawmaker was visibly angry and lashed out at the “corrupt campaign finance system,” according to Punchbowl News.
“We don’t have enough candidates in this country that will take on the powers that be and fight for the working class,” Sanders said.
Sanders did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
Platner later expressed that he is “already planning” to get the tattoo removed in a Tuesday evening statement to Politico.
“It was not until I started hearing from reporters and DC insiders that I realized this tattoo resembled a Nazi symbol,” the candidate added in his statement to the outlet. 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.”
The video revealing Platner’s tattoo comes on the heels of unearthed Reddit posts in which the Democrat urged people to use violence as a tool for social change. In the posts, he said those who “expect to fight fascism without a good semi-automatic rifle” should “do some reading of history.”
Platner also made offensive comments on Reddit such as “Why don’t black people tip?” according to Bangor Daily News, and said sexual assault victims should “take some responsibility for themselves and not get so fucked up they wind up having sex with someone they don’t mean to?” according to The Washington Post.
Platner apologized for the comments, and claims the posts were made at a time when he was “struggling deeply.”
“As I told CNN, I was fucking around on the internet at a time when I felt lost and very disillusioned with our government who sent me overseas to watch my friends die,” Platner said in a statement to Politico. “I made dumb jokes and picked fights. But of course I’m not a socialist. I’m a small business owner, a Marine Corps veteran, and a retired shitposter.”
Sanders enthusiastically backed Platner the same month the oyster farmer launched his campaign.
Platner is running against term-limited Democratic Maine Gov. Janet Mills, 77, in the party’s Senate primary to take on Collins. Mills officially launched her Senate bid on Oct. 14.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect later reports that Platner is planning to get the tattoo removed.
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