Oct. 21 (UPI) — Graham Platner hopes to be elected as one of Maine’s two U.S.senators and denied allegations that he is a closet Nazi after images of a questionable tattoo became public.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The tattoo appears in a home video recorded by Platner’s family and showing him shirtless while singing during his brother’s wedding in 2007.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It resembles the Nazi SS death head that is called a Totenkopf and was worn by SS troops and SS members in charge of Nazi death camps during World War II, according to Axios<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “I am not a secret Nazi,” he told Tommy Vietor<\/a> on the “Pod Save America” podcast on Monday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He said he got the tattoo while he was a Marine deployed in Croatia nearly 20 years ago and was very drunk at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Platner said he and his Marine Corps colleagues chose the skull and crossbones tattoo because it is scary-looking and he was unaware of any potential Nazi affiliation, Politico reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “I absolutely would not have gone through this life having this on my chest if I knew that,” Platner told Vietor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “To insinuate that I did is disgusting,” he added. “I am already planning to get this removed.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Platner also addressed accusations that he referred to himself as a “communist” and called police “bastards” in Reddit posts that he since has deleted, according to The Hill<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He also said Americans who live in rural areas are “stupid.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n The social media posts resurfaced a week ago, but Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin on Sunday said\u2002they don’t disqualify<\/a> Platner from seeking office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Platner recorded and posted a video in which he apologizes for the Reddit Posts<\/p>\n\n\n\n Platner seeks to replace Sen. Susan Collins<\/a>, R-Maine, who has held the seat since 1997.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Also running for the Democratic Party’s nomination is Maine Gov. Janet Mills, among others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n