"It happened during a night of drinking while he was on leave in Croatia, he said, adding he was unaware until recently that the image has been associated with Nazi police. Platner, in an Associated Press interview, said that while his campaign initially said he would remove the tattoo, he chose to cover it up with another tattoo due to the limited options where he lives in rural Maine."
"Platner added that he had never been questioned about the tattoo's connections to Nazi symbols in the 20 years he has had it. He said it was there when he enlisted in the army, which requires an examination for tattoos of hate symbols. I also passed a full background check to receive a security clearance to join the ambassador to Afghanistan's security detail, Platner said."
Graham Platner covered a skull-and-crossbones chest tattoo that has been recognized as linked to Nazi police. The tattoo was acquired in 2007 while he served in the Marine Corps during leave in Croatia, and he was unaware until recently of the symbol's association. A cover-up was chosen instead of professional removal because of limited removal options in rural Maine and timing constraints. The tattoo went unchallenged for two decades, and military tattoo screening and a full background check for a security clearance were completed. The revelation followed discovery of deleted online statements; an apology attributed the comments to post-service PTSD and depression. Platner remains in the crowded Democratic primary to challenge Senator Susan Collins and has attracted some prominent political backing.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]