Lefty ‘anti-war’ candidate once defended ‘urinating’ on dead Taliban, called war ‘the most enjoyable experience’

WASHINGTON — Graham Platner, a Marine veteran and Democratic Senate hopeful from Maine, has come under renewed scrutiny after old Reddit posts resurfaced in which he defended a Marine who urinated on a deceased Taliban fighter. Platner, 41, has promoted himself as an anti-war candidate critical of U.S. military actions in the Middle East.

Posts attributed to Platner on Reddit, written between 2013 and 2020 and later deleted, also describe combat as intensely rewarding. In one post, he referred to his military experiences as the “most enjoyable experience of my life” and called leading combat units “the best goddamn thing in the world.”

In a 2013 post responding to a Marine being fined and demoted for urinating on a dead Taliban fighter, Platner, under the username “P-Hustle,” wrote that while the act itself was a “poor choice,” the media reaction was overblown. “It’s amusing that today killing a man isn’t worthy of comment, but god forbid you display dominance,” he wrote. CNN traced the account to Platner.

Reddit comment defending the historical practice of desecrating bodies during wartime. — The Maine Democratic Senate hopeful appeared to defend a Marine who urinated on a dead Taliban fighter.

A Reddit post by user u/P-Hustle asking "Soldiers of reddit. Is there any of you who actually enjoyed combat?" with a comment saying, "You may get it, but in my experience explaining that war was the most enjoyable experience of my life has tended to not go over all that well." — Graham Platner suggested in 2015 that war was “the most enjoyable experience” of his life, but acknowledged difficulties telling people that.

Platner has said that he deleted his Reddit history before announcing his Senate campaign last year. In a CNN interview, he referred to his past online posts as “me f—king around on the internet” and insisted they are not reflective of his current views.

“I was a teenager when I enlisted in the Marine Corps,” Platner told The Post. “I wanted to serve my country and I took pride in doing so. Over time, like many veterans, I realized we were taken advantage of and developed a new perspective on war.”

Currently an oyster farmer, Platner has leveraged his Marine experience to criticize U.S. bombings in Iran, calling them “tragic, stupid, ill-conceived.” He has also repeatedly criticized incumbent Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) for her early support of the Iraq War. On X, Platner accused Collins of sending young Americans to die in Iraq and claimed she learned nothing from that conflict.

Platner’s Reddit posts reveal a mix of admiration for combat and disillusionment with war. He described joining the military in 2004 and serving in Fallujah and Ramadi as “an excellent experience,” while noting the unique challenges and fulfillment of leading a rifle squad or machine-gun section. He also acknowledged enjoying the intellectual and physical challenges of combat, while saying that killing was not an end in itself but part of achieving victory.

Graham Platner singing in briefs, revealing his chest tattoo. — Graham Platner drew national headlines for being caught with a Nazi-linked tattoo on his chest, which he has since inked over. Pod Save America

He served in both Iraq and Afghanistan and once expressed that fighting in Afghanistan was rewarding due to its varied terrain, while Iraqi cities were “terrifying.” In 2014, he advocated aggressive action against ISIS after the killing of journalist James Foley, suggesting large-scale military retaliation.

Graham Platner as a Marine. — Graham Platner has leaned on his time serving America to rail against hawkish pols who send the country’s youth into battle. Facebook / Graham Platner

Over time, Platner has expressed increasing disillusionment with military engagements. In 2020, he lamented seeing new generations of Marines sent to wars he called pointless and strategically disastrous. He criticized the toll of casualties on soldiers, labeling conflicts “a waste of time” unless one benefited politically or financially from the defense industry. After the Kabul bombing during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, Platner called for an end to the “stupid f—king war,” citing concern for the troops’ sacrifices.

A Reddit comment on a post about Afghanistan, where the user /u/P-Hustle states they enjoyed their time in the military and killing enemy soldiers. — Old Reddit posts revealed how Graham Platner started out as a believer that the fighting in Afghanistan was productive, but later questioned that.

A Reddit post from a soldier discussing their enjoyment of combat and military experience. — The oyster farmer reflected on the “feeling of accomplishment that cannot be replicated” from warfighting.

Platner is competing in the June 9 primary against Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D) for the Democratic nomination to challenge Collins in November. Polls indicate Platner holds a significant lead over Mills, while Collins is widely considered the most vulnerable Republican senator in New England, despite her history of outperforming expectations.

His campaign has been marked by multiple controversies. In addition to his Reddit posts, past reports highlighted Platner’s self-identification as a “communist,” harsh criticism of police, and blunt comments about rural white Americans. He also came under scrutiny for a tattoo resembling a Nazi SS symbol, which he says he received in Croatia while intoxicated in 2007. Platner has since covered the tattoo with a Celtic knot design and denies any Nazi affiliation.