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FIRST ON FOX: SULLIVAN, ME – Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner refused to apologize to both voters and a Purple Heart recipient when asked by Fox News Digital about a since-deleted Reddit post in which he said the wounded soldier “didn’t deserve to live.”
Platner did not initially respond when asked outside a market near his home if he regrets making the post, which Fox News Digital reported Earlier this week he was shown making fun of a PFC video. Ted Daniels taken during a confrontation with Taliban fighters in 2012 that ended with Daniels being shot four times and receiving the Purple Heart.
“I served four tours in the infantry, any attempt to say I disrespect veterans is defamatory and offensive,” Platner said when asked follow-up questions about what he would say to any Maine voter who was offended by his position and whether he should apologize to Daniels.
“Do you think you owe him an apology?” Fox News Digital asked again.
UNBURIED POSTS SHOW HOPEFUL DEM SENATE PRAISE VULGAR GRAFFITI, MAKING RAW PORTA POTTY ADMISSION
Fox News Digital spoke with Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner near his home in Maine on Saturday about his recent controversies over his resurfaced posts on Reddit, including a comment mocking a U.S. Purple Heart soldier. (Fox News Digital)
“Do you know how many of my friends have Purple Hearts? Do you know how many of my friends were hurt?” Platner responded, before adding, “Yes, a lot of them, thank you.”
Platner, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, sparked widespread outrage online this week over the resurfaced post on Reddit that critics say shows disrespect toward his fellow soldiers.
“This video never gets old,” Platner posted in June 2019 using the Reddit account “P-Hustle,” which he acknowledged owning, in reference to a viral video of the helmet Daniels was wearing while taking enemy fire.
WATCH: COLLINS RIPS MAINE CHALLENGER PLATNER ON RESURRECTED REDDIT POST MOCKING INJURED US SOLDIER
Maine Democratic senatorial candidate Graham Platner is facing new criticism over his deleted Reddit record. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
“The dumb son of a bitch didn’t deserve to live. At least his stupidity and fat wheezing are available for all future infantrymen to witness and despise. Poor aim on the part of the Taliban is the only reason this mouth breather made it home. He managed to make every decision possible when it comes to small unit combat.”
Rob O’Neill, the US Navy SEAL, who is credited with killing Usama bin Laden, was one of many veterans who spoke out in response to the post.
“Mr. Platner crossed the line by talking about a soldier in that way,” O’Neill told Fox News Digital of the controversy on Thursday.
PLATNER’S BRUTAL ATTACKS ON ARMY SOLDIERS AS ‘FAT, LAZY’ REVEALED IN RESURRECTED POSTS
Graham Platner, the presumptive Democratic Senate candidate in Maine, holds an energy event in Ellsworth, Maine, on Monday, May 11, 2026. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)
“This is completely barbaric,” O’Neill added. “I don’t get it. If you take an oath to the country, it doesn’t even matter what the policy is. Every time you fight it’s for the man next to you, it’s for the person next to you. Politics goes out the window. And wishing someone like that ill under fire is just, you know, like I said, it’s the opposite of everything I’ve been raised to believe.”
Platner previously he bowed in his fight with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to explain the numerous incremental social media posts that have emerged since he announced his Senate candidacy.
“For those of you who have read these things and been offended, have read these things and seen someone you don’t recognize, I am deeply sorry,” Platner said in October before the post about Daniels and other posts disparaging the military became public.
“I’m sorry about this. Just know that it doesn’t reflect who I am at all. I don’t want you to judge me for the dumbest thing I’ve ever written on the Internet. I’d rather people could judge me for the person I am today.”
Daniels himself responded to the publication, tell Fox Business“People like that don’t say things like that to my face.”
“It’s online, and that tells me, Graham, you’re a coward.”
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Platner became the presumptive Democratic nominee after his rival for the nomination, Gov. Janet Mills, ended her campaign last month after trailing Platner in polls and fundraising.
The Democratic Senate primary in Maine will take place on June 9, where Platner will appear on the ballot alongside Democrat David Costello to earn the right to face incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins.