Liberal activists who were behind Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner's campaign admitted that their vetting process did not pick up certain issues such as his controversial Nazi-linked tattoo.Wall Street Journal reporter Aaron Zitner spoke to Daniel Moraff, Leanne Fan and Morris Katz, three activists who "handpicked" Platner to challenge Maine Sen.Susan Collins for her Senate seat ahead of the 2026 midterms.
During the interview, which premiered on Sunday, Zitner asked about the vetting process after choosing to run with Platner."We paid a nice firm a whole chunk of money and got some stuff back," Moraff said."Some of what you've seen on the news we got back, other stuff we didn't."GRAHAM PLATNER BLAMES NAZI TATTOO ON MILITARY ‘CULTURE,’ DRAWS BACKLASH FROM GOP VETERANSDaniel Moraff, Leanne Fan and Morris Katz "handpicked" Graham Platner to run for the U.S.
Senate in Maine.(Robert F.
Bukaty/AP Photo)"Did the vetting process turn up the tattoo that became so controversial?" Zitner asked."No," Moraff answered.Zitner followed up by asking whether the vetting process brought up Platner's controversial Reddit posts where he made comments demeaning women and mocking U.S.soldiers."The firm sent us a thing, and it had some of the posts, but it didn't have all of them," Moraff said.Despite the things he did see, Moraff insisted that none of Platner's past comments "will or should stop him from becoming a U.S.
senator."MAINE SENATE CANDIDATE CITES COMBAT TRAUMA WHEN CONFRONTED ON 'TERRIBLE' POSTS ABOUT SEXUAL ASSAULTKatz similarly defended running with Platner, claiming that he was a better option than the establishment.Graham Platner, a Democratic candidate for U.S.Senate in Maine, points to a covered tattoo that had previously been an image recognized as a Nazi symbol, during an interview.
(WGME via AP)"To me, the biggest risk the Democratic Party can take is continuing to do things the same way it's done, that have ended us with a House minority, a S...