Warren downplays Nazi-linked symbol after scrutinizing Hegseth’s Christian tattoos
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Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., eschewed Democratic Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner’s Nazi-linked tattoo in a glowing endorsement Thursday, even though she had previously expressed concern about War Department Secretary Pete Hegseth’s Christian tattoos.
Warren, one of the most liberal members of the Senate who has sought to find progressive candidates, supported Platner’s campaign in a video posted on social media Wednesday, calling him “the real deal.”
“Graham Platner has the courage to go against the rules and fight for what is right,” Warren said. “And people in Maine are excited and excited about the change.”
41-year-old oyster farmer widely criticized skull and crossbones chest tattoo It looks like a Nazi-related symbol associated with the SS. Platner later had the tattoo removed and pleaded ignorance, saying he was unaware of the meaning of the symbol.
Graham Platner, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Maine, points to a covered tattoo, an image previously considered a Nazi symbol, during an interview in Portland, Me., on Wednesday. (WGME via AP)
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When asked about Platner’s series of controversies, Warren largely ignored it.
“Look, he apologized for it, and he’s out there talking to the people of Maine every day.” Warren told Huffpost on Thursday.
Warren’s remarks contrasted sharply with Hegseth’s examination of Christian tattoos. Ahead of Hegseth’s confirmation hearing in early 2025, Warren hinted that Hegseth might be a traitor because he wears certain Christian symbols on his body.
Massachusetts Democrat especially He cited the Reuters report It details Hegseth’s removal from National Guard duty during former President Joe Biden’s inauguration by a superior who made the dubious assumption that he might be an “insider threat” because of his Christian tattoos.
Hegseth had volunteered for inauguration security as a member of the D.C. National Guard and was working at Fox News at the time. A veteran National Guard member expressed concern over Jerusalem Cross tattoos and the Latin phrase “Deus Vult,” meaning “God wills it.”
Four years later, Warren used the incident to question Hegseth’s loyalty to the United States despite completing numerous overseas assignments and earning two Bronze Stars.
“We cannot have a Secretary of Defense whose fellow soldiers are sufficiently concerned to report him as a potential insider threat,” Warren wrote in a 33-page letter to Hegseth.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Warren’s office for comment.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., heavily scrutinized Pentagon Secretary Pete Hegseth for his Christian tattoos in early 2025. (Aaron Schwartz/Getty Images; Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)
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Hegseth defended her tattoos during an exchange with Sen. Kristen Gillibrand during her confirmation hearing. Gillibrand, who heads the Senate Democrats’ campaign arm, is specifically supporting Platner’s opponent in the Senate primary, Gov. Janet Mills.
Both Mills and Platner have long been vying for the Democratic nomination to unseat Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine.
The tattoo features prominently in Mills’ campaign’s exciting new attack ad against Platner.
The ad, which the Mills campaign says it spent six figures to air statewide, ends with a shirtless video of Platner, with the narrator saying: “The closer you look, the worse it gets.”
The ad also includes controversial comments about rape that Platner made on Reddit more than a decade ago.
Mills campaign location As we highlight Platner’s comments, an actor — in a candidate-sounding voice — reads the comment aloud. Among the comments is one from 2013 that Platner later deleted; He said people worried about rape should “not get so angry that they have sex with someone they don’t want it to happen to.”
Four women in the Mills ad responded to the comments, calling them a “terrible thing to say,” “disgusting” and “disqualifying.”
Platner apologized for controversial Reddit posts that made headlines just after he launched his Senate campaign last fall.
“I’m so sorry for anyone who reads this and gets offended, for anyone who reads this and sees someone you don’t know,” he said in a video that went viral.
Senate candidate Graham Platner (left) of Maine and two-term Gov. Jane Mills face off in the state’s Democratic Senate primary. (Sophie Park/Getty Images; Scott Eisen/Getty Images)
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The Mills ad aired at a time when Platner was gaining momentum while drawing large crowds at campaign events across the state. According to the latest polls, Platner has a large lead over Mills with less than three months until the Maine primary.
Democrats see Collins, who is seeking a sixth Senate term in the left-leaning New England state, as vulnerable. The race is considered a must-win contest for Democrats trying to take back the chamber’s majority from the GOP in this year’s midterm elections.
