But according to a person who socialized with Platner when he was living in Washington, D.C., more than a decade ago, Platner had specifically acknowledged that the tattoo was a Totenkopf, the “death’s head” symbol adopted by an infamous Nazi SS unit that guarded concentration camps in World War II.
“He said, 'Oh, this is my Totenkopf,” the former acquaintance told Jewish Insider recently, speaking on the condition of anonymity to address a sensitive issue. “He said it in a cutesy little way.”
The exchange occurred in 2012 at Tune Inn, a popular dive on Capitol Hill where Platner later worked as a bartender and was a frequent patron while he attended The George Washington University on the G.I. bill, according to the former acquaintance. He would often take his shirt off drinking with friends late at night at the bar, and on at least one occasion had stated he knew what the tattoo represented, the former acquaintance recalled.
Platner gave varying accounts of the image during this time, saying at one point he was aware it was a Totenkopf when he had first gotten the tattoo several years prior and at another time claiming he had not known, according to the former acquaintance.
The mixed accounts indicate that Platner has at least long been aware of the symbols’s connection to Nazism, even as he said in the podcast interview he was not familiar with any such association when he chose to get the tattoo.
The source for this is Jewish Insider, which I’m sure people will say whatever they are going to say about that, but at some point this guys multiple red flags need to be taken as a pattern.
Dude has a very clear pattern of making questionable choices in the most favorable reading of circumstances. His former campaign manager said this when resigning over Grahams past comments:
“The words we choose to use online reflect who we are and what we stand for. While I am empathetic to Graham’s experiences and respect his personal journey and growth, I cannot overlook the volume and nature of his past comments, many of which were made as an adult, not as a young man.” McDonald said in her resignation letter.
Y’all need to stop apologizing for this guy and start looking for a better candidate to get behind so it isn’t Janet Mills in the general.
The symbol in question:
I mean…I can kinda get why he didn’t know. That looks like one of those blobs therapists use to figure out what you see.
I don’t even see a skull and bones. I see a fish, with a railroad crossing sign on it’s belly.
Even side by side, I barely see the resemblance. I guess that’s what it’s supposed to be, but I could easily be convinced if you show me a fish with a railroad sign on it’s belly.
I can fully understand how he didn’t know. I don’t understand why he got a tattoo he had no strong attatchments to however. He should have at least known WHAT he was getting tattood in the first place.
In any event, nazi affiliation, no nazi affiliation, can we all agree that it’s a shit tattoo either way?
I also wanted to buy an Iron Cross necklace, but my mother wouldn’t let me. I didn’t know what it meant… Cause I was like 10 at the time. How old was he to not know what a Totenkopf is?
I literally just learned what it is. I would have thought it was random pirate or metal shit
OK, then look at it this way. Would you have gotten a tattoo on your chest of something you didn’t know the meaning of?
I wouldn’t, but then again I’m not a drunk Marine.
Like the other user above, I’ve also never heard of the Totenkopf and I don’t recognize the emblem. Looks like any other skull and crossbones to me. I’m not saying it isn’t a harmful symbol, but I can understand how a lot of people would be totally ignorant to its history like I am.
Right. And you can blame bad decisions on being drunk. It’s ridiculous but whatever. And then the next few decades when you … checks notes … don’t actually look up the tattoo and … checks notes … actively ignore people who told you it was Nazi shit … those years involved plenty of sober incidents.
Also, if you’re going into national politics, you have to know that people will look into your past. So you ask your supporters to do it first, to deal with the rough stuff before it’s trending around the globe. Every single politician in the world understands this basic point.
I too think the picture is uselessly bad, and that’s key to another part of the story in the comments. Basically an unnamed associate seemed to be in the same boat of not knowing what it was and the man himself described it by name.
Now he didn’t explicitly say it was a Nazi symbol, but he allegedly used the specific German word for it instead of saying it’s some skull and crossbones.
Per the Jewish Insider citing a anonymous source, so take that for what you will
Wait what makes it a Nazi tattoo? Are all skulls potentially Nazi tattoos? It just looks like a regular (somewhat cartoonish) skull and bones
Edit: Oh seems like part of a specific SS symbol
I mean, after the swastika, SS logo and iron cross, it’s like the fourth most famous Nazi symbol
There’s a pretty wide gap between spots three and four, bud. Even before considering that you forgot about the arm bands and the mustache.
Also skulls are the most widely used symbols for all sorts of things throughout history and modern pop culture
Yeah but that’s a very specific design, bud
That’s what I said lmao. And that it’s only part of the very specific design half the comment section’s never seen before. Some guy even tattooed it on himself without knowing it, buddy
I guess half of the comment section must not be used to dealing with Nazis, pal
