democracy maine senate candidate Graham Platner was asked about his controversial tattoos during an interview with MS NOW on Saturday.

MS NOW’s Elise Jordan presses Plattner CNN KFile Survey He is alleged to have previously acknowledged the meaning of his tattoo – identified as “3rd Panzer Division”, a Nazi military unit associated with concentration camps – despite publicly claiming he was unaware of its significance. Jordan cited Reddit posts that appeared to show Plattner discussing and justifying the symbol, saying they conflicted with his account.

“Can you respond to KFiles, CNN, and the big investigation they did that showed you did know The meaning of your tattoo ——’Third Armored Division’, the force that ran the concentration camps? “Jordan asked. “Quite notorious. You know, like if you were to get a Nazi tattoo, basically, it’s the worst tattoo you could ever have. But you said you didn’t know what it was. But then they post all your documentation on Reddit, talking about what it is, and somehow justifying it. “

Plattner denied the accusation, calling it “simply untrue.” He said the tattoo was intended to be a skull and crossbones symbol representing his Marine Corps service, which he earned while deployed to Croatia with fellow Marines.

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U.S. Senate candidate Graham Plattner from Maine speaks at a town hall at the Levitt Theater in Ogunquit, Maine, on October 22, 2025. (Sophie Park/Getty Images)

“I came ashore in Croatia with a group of other Marines. We were machine gunners. We had done two deployments together and we wanted to put a skull and crossbones together to represent our time in the field. Marine Corps. That’s what we got,” Plattner said.

plattner says He was later cleared by the State Department to protect the ambassador to Afghanistan and screened for “hate and gang-related tattoos.”

“For 17 years, I’ve been taking my shirt off in front of my family, in front of my friends at the gym, all of that – and it’s never been brought up,” Plattner said. “Until now.

Plattner’s campaign teamed up with “pods save americaOn the podcast in October, Plattner lip-synced to Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball” at his brother’s wedding nearly a decade ago. In the video, Plattner is shirtless and appears to have a skull tattoo on his chest that resembles “Totenkopf,” a symbol used by Adolf Hitler’s SS.

Jordan pressed Plattner in a Reddit post in which Plattner commented on the Totenkopf logo.

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On January 31, 2026, Maine Senate Democratic candidate Graham Platner was questioned about his controversial tattoos on MS NOW. (MS NOW/weekend prime time)

Plattner said his comments were not about his tattoos but about Marine Corps scout snipers, noting that such imagery was once common in the community.

“The Marines cracked down on it, and rightfully so, because it didn’t look good. Scout snipers today don’t realize that. But when I was in the Marines, it was popular among scout snipers,” he said.

CNN’s KFile reported in October that the Democratic Senate candidate’s comments on Reddit and interviews with Plattner acquaintances contradicted his initial statement that he had only recently learned of the tattoo’s connection to Nazism.

Plattner told the “Pod Save America” ​​podcast in October that he wasn’t a secret Nazi.

Graham Platner, Maine’s Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, noted in an interview Wednesday in Portland, Maine, that the tattoo had previously been considered a Nazi symbol. (WGME, AP)

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“I’m not a secret Nazi,” Plattner said. “In fact, if you read my comments on Reddit, I think you can basically understand where I stand on Nazism and racism. I would say I’m a lifelong opponent.”

Plattner also called himself a “communist” in a Reddit post from years ago. The Democratic Senate candidate said it was just a “post on the internet.”

Democratic members often compare presidents Donald Trumpgovernment, especially their deportation efforts, to Nazi Germany.

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Many people compare ICE agents to Nazis. late night host Stephen Colbert suggests On his show last week, ICE agents were probably worse than Nazis because Nazis were willing to show up.

Fox News’ Lindsay Kornick contributed to this report.