Overview
- Platner said he got the skull-and-crossbones in 2007 while very inebriated on Marine leave in Croatia and insisted, “I am not a secret Nazi.”
- He said he will have the tattoo removed after learning of its association and noted no military or security screeners flagged it during later Army service.
- An ADL spokesperson called the apparent Totenkopf “troubling” for a candidate, while acknowledging some people obtain such tattoos without knowing the meaning.
- Former campaign political director Genevieve McDonald and an acquaintance allege he previously recognized it as a Totenkopf; the campaign rejects that claim as false.
- Platner has apologized for resurfaced Reddit posts with offensive remarks, and Sen. Bernie Sanders said Tuesday he still supports the candidate.