Bernie Sanders defends Maine Senate candidate under fire for Reddit comments

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is standing firm behind Maine Democrat Graham Platner, a first-time Senate hopeful facing outrage over a Nazi-style tattoo and resurfaced Reddit posts.

Sanders, in an interview with Axios, blamed the media for the fury about the tattoo and Platner's deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, where he said he went through a challenging chapter in his life.  

"I'm not overly impressed by a squad of media running around saying, 'what do you think about the tattoo on Graham Platner's chest,’" Sanders told Axios on "The Axios Show."

U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner, D-Maine, speaks at a town hall at the Franco Center, Oct. 15, in Lewiston, Me. (Libby Kenny/Sun Journal via AP)

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It was revealed that Platner, a U.S. Marine and Army veteran and oyster farmer, once had a skull-and-crossbones tattoo resembling the Totenkopf used by Hitler’s SS paramilitary forces. He has since covered the image with another tattoo. 

Meanwhile, resurfaced Reddit posts show him appearing to mock military sexual assault victims, criticize police, and make racially charged comments about tipping. He also said on the social media platform in 2018 that "all" police are bastards and called himself a "communist."

Platner’s campaign has been rocked by the controversies with his political director, former state representative Genevieve McDonald, resigning in the aftermath of the Reddit posts — the tattoo controversy came after. Platner has apologized for both incidents.

A new poll shows Platner with a decisive lead among a crowded Democrat field. The University of New Hampshire’s Pine Tree State poll shows 58% of likely Democrat primary voters back him. The poll was taken during which the Reddit posts were surfacing, and before the tattoo controversy came to light. 

Senator Bernie Sanders blamed the media for the fury and said the public should focus on the issues facing ordinary Americans instead. (Valerie Plesch/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Despite the disarray, Sanders is doubling down on his support of Platner, who is contesting a crowded field. He told the outlet that Platner "went into a dark period in his life" regarding the online posts.

"I suspect that Graham Platner is not the only American to have gone through a dark period," Sanders said.  "What he did was he expressed his darkness on the internet. Probably not a brilliant thing to do, alright? And he said things that are stupid, things that were hurtful. He has apologized for them."

Sanders said the public should focus on the issues facing ordinary Americans instead.

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"I think what we have got to do as a nation is not focus on a tattoo," Sanders said. "We've got to focus on a system which in many ways is collapsing."

Platner said he got the tattoo in 2007 during a "night of drinking" while on leave in Croatia in the Marine Corps and claimed he did not know its historical associations at the time. 

Graham Platner, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Maine, points to a covered tattoo that had previously been an image recognized as a Nazi symbol, during an interview on Wednesday in Portland, Me. (WGME via AP)

In a video posted to Instagram Wednesday afternoon, Platner elaborated that the design was chosen from a flash tattoo wall while "carousing" with fellow Marines in Split, Croatia. 

"We thought it looked cool," he said. 

He claimed he had "lived a life dedicated to anti-fascism, anti-racism and anti-Nazism" and was "appalled" to learn it resembled a hate symbol.

Platner said he had the symbol inked over with a Celtic knot and imagery of dogs, a tribute to his family pets. He told the Associated Press he opted to cover it instead of removing it because there were no removal services near his home in rural Maine.

"This far more represents who I am now than even the skull and crossbones did," he said on the video, lifting his shirt to reveal the new tattoo.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is backing Maine Gov. Janet Mills for the Senate seat. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

In the Reddit posts, Platner reportedly asked, "Why don’t black people tip?" in response to a thread asking, "What is one question you have always wanted to ask someone of another race?" according to WGME.

He also argued that if people "expect to fight fascism without a good semi-automatic rifle, they ought to do some reading of history." And in another post, he said, "an armed working class is a requirement for economic justice."

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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is backing Maine Gov. Janet Mills for the Senate seat in the race to take on longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine.

The University of New Hampshire’s Pine Tree State Poll shows Mills with 24% of likely voters and just 1% for any other candidate. About 14% remain undecided.

Meanwhile, Collins dominates the GOP field with 66% support, according to the poll.

Fox News’ Jasmine Baehr and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.