Chris Van Hollen

It really wasn’t difficult to see that Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner was undeserving of support. He had an SS Nazi tattoo emblazoned on his chest, a “Totenkopf” skull worn by SS guards at concentration camps. Did you really need any additional information to conclude that Platner should never be anywhere near the United States Senate? I wrote a column weeks ago warning people about the despicable behavior of Platner. Unfortunately, not everyone got the message. The Nazi tattoo was apparently A-OK with Maryland U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, who said, “People should have second chances” in order to justify supporting the man sporting Adolf Hitler’s emblem. But the Nazi tattoo wasn’t the only disturbing controversy in Platner’s past, and it is an embarrassment to our entire state that Van Hollen gave full-throated support to this individual. The story is disturbing.

The first major controversy erupted after reporters uncovered years of deleted Reddit posts written by Platner. Platner wrote that he was a communist. He described himself as a psychedelic-taking socialist. He wrote that “all … cops are bastards.” He posted that rural white Americans are racist and stupid. And he victim-blamed women who had been raped, saying that they should “not get so f***ed up they wind up having sex with someone they don’t mean to.” Despite these comments, Van Hollen enthusiastically defended this candidate.

There’s more. Platner advocated for political violence, stating that if peaceful methods failed, then people should fight with “guns if need be.” He further wrote that “an armed working class is a requirement for economic justice” and went on to advocate for progressives to “get armed, get organized.” Platner insulted members of the military and belittled Bronze Star winners. He used insulting slurs against the LGBTQ community. Platner blamed all this on PTSD and political disillusionment. Van Hollen continued to support him for Senate.

After the disclosure of the aforementioned Nazi tattoo, Platner made the ridiculous excuse that he didn’t know what it was, but according to a former girlfriend, he called it “my Totenkopf.” Totenkopf is the German name of the Nazi SS insignia. Maryland is home to a large Jewish community, many of whom had significant numbers of relatives who were butchered by the SS in concentration camps. No matter to Van Hollen. There was a Senate seat to be won, and political points to be scored with the ultra-left fringe, and so he cast aside the shock and horror from the community he claimed to represent.

Then came the sexting. According to reporting, Platner exchanged sexually explicit messages with multiple women during the years of his marriage. Messages reportedly included both explicit texts and photographs sent through online platforms. Platner did not dispute that these exchanges occurred, but the controversy centered on honesty and judgment. Van Hollen again dismissed the actions.

Next came another disturbing and dark twist to the political story. In June, The New York Times interviewed former romantic partners of Platner. Three described disturbing experiences. The most detailed allegations came from a woman named Lyndsey Fifield, who reported controlling behaviors, frequent displays of rage, threats of violence and self-harm, emotional intimidation and physical abuse. She reportedly supplied The Times with diary entries, text messages, names of witnesses and other corroborating materials. The allegations were incredibly disturbing and serious. But these revelations did not cause Van Hollen to withdraw his support. He made no statement whatsoever other than continued support for Platner. Other Democratic operatives and individuals in the media attacked Fifield’s motives and dismissed her allegations because she was a Republican. Apparently, the mantra that women should be believed didn’t hold true unless the woman was in the same political party. Even serious allegations of violence against women weren’t enough for Van Hollen to stop supporting this candidate.

A few days ago, the proverbial dam broke. One of the women interviewed by The Times was rightly disgusted at the treatment that Fifield had been subjected to, and came forward with even more details about her own encounter with Platner. Jenny Racicot publicly accused Platner of raping her in 2021. According to Racicot, an intoxicated Platner came into her home uninvited and forced sexual intercourse. Published reporting states that reporters reviewed emails with Racicot’s therapist, messages warning another woman about Platner and interviews with a former boyfriend with whom Racicot had previously disclosed the rape. The big difference this time was that Racicot is a Democrat, and it was no longer possible for Platner defenders to claim the allegations were “politically motivated.” Finally, Van Hollen issued a statement saying that “Platner should step aside” as the candidate. Way too late, senator. You own this one.

I want to make some obvious statements now that this horrendous candidate has withdrawn from the race. Platner should never have been the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate. Any single one of these revelations, and especially the giant Nazi tattoo on his chest, should have been an automatic disqualifier. The dismissing of Fifield’s allegations by Platner defenders as politically motivated because she is a registered Republican is disgusting. The rape allegations by Racicot against Platner are horrific, but it should not have taken these allegations to know Platner was undeserving of support.

The fact that Van Hollen publicly and enthusiastically supported Graham Platner, despite all of his despicable activity, is an embarrassment to the entire state of Maryland. I don’t care whether someone is a Democrat, Republican, third-party or unaffiliated voter. Our senators represent all of us and not just their own self-interest and ambitions. Van Hollen’s support for this disgraceful candidate in Maine is a stain on all of us. He failed in his basic responsibility to our state, and he owes the citizens of Maryland a huge apology. And then some.