SouthernWorldwide.com – The Democratic Party is facing significant backlash as a rushed and inexpensive background check on Senate candidate Graham Platner appears to have backfired, leaving the campaign embroiled in serious allegations and prompting calls for him to withdraw.
In the high-stakes world of modern elections, candidate vetting is a standard procedure, typically requiring weeks and substantial financial investment. However, sources speaking to The Wall Street Journal revealed that Dan Moraff, a Democratic strategist and key member of Platner’s campaign staff, opted for a remarkably brief and cost-effective background check, costing only $6,250 and completed in a mere three days.
The primary purpose of vetting is to identify and address any personal issues or “baggage” a candidate might possess that could jeopardize their electoral prospects if revealed to the public.
Platner is currently confronting a serious rape allegation from a former girlfriend, alongside separate claims of abusive conduct from another ex-partner, all of which he vehemently denies. Further scrutiny has fallen upon the Maine Senate hopeful due to a Nazi-affiliated tattoo acquired during his service in the Marine Corps, and for sending sexually explicit messages to other women while married.
While these specific controversies were not detailed in the expedited risk assessment memo provided to Platner’s campaign, some other problematic elements that have since surfaced were indeed noted, according to The Wall Street Journal.
“The firm sent us a report, and it included some of the posts, but not all of them,” Moraff stated to The Wall Street Journal, referring to Platner’s now-deleted Reddit activity.
Through a now-deactivated Reddit account, Platner had posted content that disparaged members of the U.S. armed forces, including a remark suggesting a wounded veteran deserved to die for his actions in combat. His posts also alluded to involvement with prostitution and hard drugs, and expressed support for political violence and socialism.
Platner has since issued an apology for these posts, attributing them to psychological trauma experienced during his military service and the rough culture he encountered as an infantryman.
When questioned by The Wall Street Journal about his initial reaction to seeing these posts, Moraff recounted telling Platner, “None of this will or should stop you from becoming a US senator.”
“If what the voters wanted were people who were grown in vats and had never done or said anything that they might regret their entire lives, we’d have a very different country,” Moraff elaborated. “Part of our thesis here is that people do not want their candidates grown in vats. They want people who are real human beings and they want people who do not look and sound like the lab grown people who’ve been leading this country off a cliff.”
A representative for the Platner campaign informed The Wall Street Journal that the campaign lacked the financial resources for a more comprehensive vetting process. They also suggested that even a more thorough background check would not have uncovered any additional significant information about Platner. The background check in question did not involve interviews or require Platner to complete a questionnaire, as reported by The Wall Street Journal.
Despite a number of prominent Democrats withdrawing their endorsements of Platner, he has, thus far, resisted pressure to exit the race. Should Platner decide to end his campaign before July 13, the Democratic Party would still have an opportunity to nominate a replacement candidate for the ballot.
“So, regardless of the inaccuracy of the reporting, but mindful the political reality it will inflict, we are taking the time to reflect on the best path forward for the state that I love, the people that I love, the movement I belong to, and the goal of defeating Susan Collins,” Platner stated in a video released on Monday, where he also denied the rape allegation. “Those were the goals when we launched this campaign, and they remain my goals today.”
Sources cited by The New York Post on Tuesday indicated that Platner is unwilling to withdraw from the race unless he has a say in choosing his successor.
