SouthernWorldwide.com – A prominent Democratic congressman has voiced strong doubts about Senate candidate Graham Platner’s assertion that he was unaware of the Nazi origins of his tattoo.
Representative Brad Schneider, a Democrat from Illinois, stated on Friday that there is “no way he didn’t know what the tattoo was.” He suggested that Platner should simply acknowledge the issue and move forward, a path he feels the candidate is unwilling to take.
Schneider, who chairs the largest caucus within the House Democrats, expressed his disappointment. His comments mark a significant public criticism from a high-profile Democrat regarding the Maine Senate hopeful.
Platner has been facing increasing scrutiny not only for his tattoo but also for sending sexually explicit messages to other women while newly married. Additionally, he has a long history of offensive social media posts and faces allegations of abuse in past romantic relationships.
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Platner, a far-left populist, is challenging incumbent Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine in a closely watched midterm election race. While he is the presumptive nominee for the Maine Democrats, some within the party have voiced concerns about his electability given the ongoing scandals.
Schneider’s public statement followed a report by The New York Times on Thursday. The report detailed accounts from several of Platner’s former girlfriends who claimed he was aware of the Nazi connections to his tattoo.
One former girlfriend, Lyndsey Fifield, told The Times that Platner had explained the meaning behind the black skull-and-crossbones tattoo to her, referring to it as “my Totenkopf.”
“He would joke about it being a Nazi tattoo,” Fifield stated. She added that Platner had indicated he chose the tattoo because he believed his military unit shared similarities with the Nazi SS paramilitary forces.
During an interview with Chris Hayes on MS NOW on Thursday, Platner strongly denied Fifield’s account. However, he appeared to struggle when pressed about a text message from Fifield to her friends in August 2025, which indicated Platner had a Nazi-linked tattoo. This was two months before he publicly disclosed the tattoo himself on an October podcast episode of “Pod Save America.”
“How does she know it’s a Nazi tattoo in August of last year, and you don’t know it’s a Nazi tattoo in August of last year?” Hayes questioned Platner directly.
“I can’t say why,” Platner responded. He clarified that he had not seen the text messages Fifield sent to her friends, stating, “I certainly didn’t know, and the text messages she’s sending to friends may have recognized it. They didn’t tell me that.”
Fifield also made allegations that Platner had assaulted her at one point during their relationship. Platner has denied this allegation, calling it false.
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Platner has since covered the tattoo after it became a significant campaign issue in late 2025. He had reportedly worn the tattoo for nearly two decades, stating he got it during a night of drinking with fellow Marines while stationed in Croatia in 2007.
Amid the divisions within the Democratic party regarding Platner’s candidacy, Schneider suggested that he would find it difficult to support Platner if he were a voter in Maine.
“I’ll leave it to the people of Maine to elect who they want,” Schneider remarked, as reported by Punchbowl News. “I’m grateful I don’t have to make that choice. I wouldn’t want to have to make that choice.”
Other prominent Democrats, including Representative Jake Auchincloss of Massachusetts and Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, have also been critical of Platner’s statements concerning his tattoo, which he has since had covered.
“All I’m saying is when I was growing up, if someone had a clear Nazi tattoo on them, you probably could conclude that they’re a Nazi sympathizer,” Fetterman stated to CNN earlier this week. He questioned whether Platner would continue to defend or dismiss the issue.
Schneider’s New Democrat Coalition is the largest group among House Democrats, comprising over 100 members.
