Maine Dem Senate Candidate Won’t Apologize for Mocking Vet
Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner refused to apologize for attacking a Purple Heart recipient online, instead citing his own military service when confronted about the remarks.
Video footage captured the moment Graham Platner, a Marine Corps veteran seeking the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in Maine, was confronted by a Fox News reporter outside a market near his home and asked whether he regretted his inflammatory remarks about the wounded serviceman, as Breitbart News reports.
The veteran in question, identified as Pfc. Ted Daniels, was shot four times during a firefight with Taliban forces in Afghanistan in 2012. Despite his combat injuries and Purple Heart decoration, Platner targeted him with a barrage of obscenities and contempt in a June 2019 Reddit post.
When asked by the Fox reporter if he owed Daniels an apology or had anything to say to voters disturbed by his comments, Platner instead defended himself by citing his own military service.
I did four tours in the infantry, any attempt to say that I disrespect veterans is slanderous and offensive, Platner said, according to the footage. When pressed again on whether he owed an apology, he responded: Do you know how many of my friends have Purple Hearts, do you know how many of my friends got wounded? Yeah, a lot of them, thank you, before getting into his truck and driving away.
Inflammatory social media history
In the 2019 Reddit post referencing video of Daniels in combat with the Taliban, Platner wrote a series of degrading statements about the wounded veteran, calling him a “dumb motherfucker” who “didn’t deserve to live” and stating that poor Taliban marksmanship was the only reason he survived. Platner went on to criticize the serviceman’s tactical decisions and physical condition during the firefight.
Platner, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps, has pointed to post-traumatic stress disorder as an explanation for his controversial social media activity, Breitbart News reports. However, he has not issued a public apology to Daniels or retracted his statements.
Democratic establishment concerns
The Platner candidacy has drawn concern even from within Democratic ranks. Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania recently warned that there is kind of a small Communist takeover in Maine as Platner moves toward securing the Democratic nomination, according to a report by Breitbart News on May 2.
Fetterman elaborated that Platner has publicly identified as an avowed Communist and is poised to become the party’s Senate nominee. The Pennsylvania senator described a troubling trend within the Democratic Party involving what he characterized as a merger of far-left causes including pro-Palestinian activism, opposition to immigration enforcement, and socialism.
Despite these concerns from moderate Democrats, Platner has secured endorsements from prominent progressive figures including Senators Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Breitbart News reports.
The candidate’s refusal to apologize for attacking a Purple Heart recipient raises questions about his fitness for office and the Democratic Party’s willingness to embrace candidates with extreme views and troubling records of disrespecting American servicemembers.
With information from Breitbart News
