Graham Plauter, a 41-year-old Democratic Senate candidate from Maine whose campaign has garnered significant grassroots support, has found himself at the center of a heated political and cultural scandal. The focus is on his tattoo – a large black and white skull and crossbones on his chest. Plauter, a Marine veteran and oyster farmer, has been forced to publicly deny rumors that this symbol is the Nazi “Death’s Head” (Totenkopf), adopted by the infamous SS units.
Revelation on a Podcast: “I’m Not a Secret Nazi”
To get ahead of the growing wave of accusations, Plauter appeared on the political podcast “Pod Save America,” released Monday night. He confirmed the presence of the tattoo, footage of which had previously appeared in a video where he was shirtless. However, Plauter categorically rejected his opponents’ insinuations about a connection between his body art and Nazism.
“I’m not a secret Nazi. In fact, if you look at my Reddit comments, you’ll easily understand my position on Nazism, antisemitism, and racism in general,” Plauter stated. “I would call myself a lifelong opponent of them.”