Schumer reaffirms support for Platner amid controversies
11 reported2 unconfirmed
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., reaffirmed his support for Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner on Tuesday while declining to directly address questions about controversies surrounding the candidate. Speaking with journalists in the Capitol, Schumer was pressed on whether he is satisfied with Platner’s explanations of the scandals, which include a tattoo linked to Nazi imagery, resurfaced Reddit posts with inflammatory comments, and reports of sexually explicit messages exchanged with other women during his marriage. Schumer did not respond to these questions directly, instead repeating that the party will beat Sen. Susan Collins and take back the Senate. After being asked about Platner for a fifth time, Schumer stated, “As I said, I endorsed Graham Platner,” before reiterating his goal of defeating Collins and walking away. The source article notes this story was only caught by one outlet, so cross-referencing is not possible.
What’s reported
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer reaffirmed support for Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner on Tuesday.
Schumer ignored persistent questions about Platner’s controversies, including a tattoo with links to Nazi imagery, resurfaced Reddit posts with inflammatory comments about veterans, and reports of sexually explicit messages exchanged with other women during his marriage.
When asked if he is satisfied with Platner’s explanations, Schumer said, “I met with Graham Platner today, we’re going to beat [Sen.] Susan Collins and take back the Senate.”
Schumer was asked several more times whether he still supports Platner and whether Democrats’ backing undermines their credibility in criticizing Texas Republican candidate Ken Paxton.
Schumer did not respond directly, repeating, “We’re going to beat Susan Collins and take back the Senate.”
After a fifth question, Schumer said, “As I said, I endorsed Graham Platner,” then reiterated his goal before walking away.
Platner has faced scrutiny for a “Totenkopf” Nazi SS tattoo, which he covered with a different tattoo.
Platner’s vulgar messages on a since-deleted Reddit account were uncovered, including jokes about masturbating in public portable toilets.
Platner called himself a communist, denigrated rural White people as “racist” and “stupid,” and singled out Black people for not tipping.
Platner has an active account on Kik, an anonymous chatting platform, containing a sexually suggestive picture of him wearing only a towel; the account was created in 2016.
Schumer previously endorsed Maine Democratic Gov. Janet Mills to challenge Collins, but Mills dropped out in April citing lack of financial backing.
Open questions
Whether Schumer’s support for Platner will affect the Democratic primary or general election.
Whether Platner will face further scrutiny or legal issues related to the Kik account.
Key figures
Chuck Schumer, Senate Minority Leader, D-N.Y.
Graham Platner, Democratic Senate candidate, Marine veteran, oyster farmer
Susan Collins, Sen., R-Maine
Janet Mills, Maine Democratic Governor
Sources: foxnews.com
