Graham Platner, a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate in Maine, said he has covered a chest tattoo after learning it was widely recognized as a Nazi symbol.
Platner told The Associated Press that he got the tattoo, a skull and crossbones associated with Nazi police, in 2007 during a night of drinking in Croatia.
He added that he initially thought of removing the tattoo, but then decided to cover it with another because of the limited options he faces in rural Maine, where he lives.
"I wanted this thing off my body," Platner said. "Going to a tattoo removal place is going to take a while." He also said he was never told about the tattoo's meaning for 20 years, not even when he joined the Army, which examines hate symbols.
"I also passed a full background check to receive a security clearance to join the Ambassador to Afghanistan's security detail," the candidate, who is looking to unseat Republican incumbent Susan Collins.
The outlet recalled that Platner began receiving questions about the tattoo after the discovery of deleted online statements that including dismissing military sexual assaults, police officers and rural Americans. He apologized for the comments, claiming he made them while struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression after leaving the Army in 2012. He is resisting calls to drop out of the race.
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