Dems quiet on candidate’s Nazi tattoo after slamming Hegseth’s Christian ink

Prominent democrats who sharply criticized the current Minister of War. Pete HegsethCrusader tattoos are now silencing a progressive Senate candidate who had a Nazi-style tattoo on his chest.

Sep. Elizabeth WarrenMassachusetts, and Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., criticized Hegseth for his tattoos, one of which is a Jerusalem cross and another of the Latin phrase “Deus Vult” (“It is the will of God”), both of which are associated with the Crusades and ancient Christian symbolism.

Following the comments against Hegseth, Fox News Digital reached out to Warren and Duckworth for comment on the ongoing controversy over the Democratic nominee for the Maine Senate. Graham Platner he has a tattoo of “Totenkopf”, the Nazi death's head symbol, on his chest.

Warren has previously expressed enthusiasm for Platner's candidacy, telling Politician“I’m glad to see new people entering the Senate race,” adding, “Especially those who have a strong voice that they are willing to use on behalf of people who are often ignored in the U.S. Senate.”

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Fox News Digital asked whether Warren and Duckworth condemn Platner because of the tattoo and whether they think he should drop out of the race. Neither immediately responded to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

During Hegseth's confirmation hearing, Warren sent him a lengthy letter in which, among other things, she expressed concern about his “Deus Vult” tattoo.

“You were also removed from President Biden's inauguration due to concerns that you posed an insider threat following reports that your Deus Vult Tattoo “was a Christian expression associated with right-wing extremism,” Warren wrote, adding: “We cannot have a Secretary of Defense whose fellow soldiers feel so concerned that they might report a potential insider threat.”

Even as secretary, Democrats continued to give Hegseth trouble over his tattoos. During a hearing in June, Duckworth accused Hegseth of “spending money like me and my fellow students during our first freedom after base camp,” adding, “Fortunately, I did not have a questionable tattoo.”

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Platner, a Marine veteran and progressive supported by people like Sen. Bernie SandersI-Vt., has drawn widespread criticism for his skull and crossbones tattoo on his chest, which strongly resembles the Totenkopf symbol used by Hitler's SS troops.

After the controversy erupted, Platner said he got the tattoo in 2007 during a “binge night” while on leave in Croatia with the Marine Corps and said he was unaware of its historical connections at the time. He has since I closed the image with another dog tattoo.

In a video posted to Instagram on Wednesday afternoon, Platner said the design was chosen on a light-up tattoo wall during a “bout” with fellow Marines in Split, Croatia.

“We thought it looked cool,” he said.

Maine Democratic Senate hoping to support Bernie Sanders apologizes for Nazi tattoo and vows to stay in race

He claimed that he had “lived a life dedicated to anti-fascism, anti-racism and anti-Nazism” and was “shocked” to learn that it resembled a hate symbol.

A Sanders spokesperson shared Axios Interview with the senator, in which he said: “I'm not too impressed with a bunch of media running around saying, 'What do you think about Graham Platner's chest tattoo' and 'There might be one or two more important issues between you and me.'

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The spokesperson also shared another statement from Sanders, in which he said of Platner: “Personally, I think he is an excellent candidate. “I will support him and look forward to him becoming Maine’s next senator.”

Fox News Digital also reached out to the Sanders and Platner campaigns for comment but did not receive an immediate response.

Fox News Digital's Jasmine Baer contributed to this report.