Platner refuses apology to Purple Heart soldier

Platner refuses – Graham Platner, a Democratic Maine Senate candidate and U.S. Marine Corps veteran, declined to apologize to a Purple Heart recipient and to voters after a deleted Reddit post resurfaced in which he mocked Pfc. Ted Daniels, who was shot four times in a 2012 cla

FIRST ON MISRYOUM — SULLIVAN, ME — Graham Platner didn’t start with a regret. He started with his resume.

When he was asked outside a market near his home whether he regretted a Reddit post critics say mocked a Purple Heart recipient. Platner—who described himself as a veteran with “four tours in the infantry”—did not offer an apology. He responded that any attempt to frame his post as disrespect for veterans was “slanderous and offensive.”.

The confrontation centered on a deleted Reddit comment tied to a 2012 incident involving Pfc. Ted Daniels, a Purple Heart recipient who was shot four times during a clash with Taliban fighters. Critics say Platner’s post mocked Daniels over a viral video showing the helmet Daniels was wearing while taking enemy fire.

The questions came again after Platner spoke to Fox News Digital about the post, including an exchange that turned sharp when Fox News Digital asked: “Do you think you owe him an apology?” Platner didn’t answer that directly in the moment.

Pressed on what he would say to voters who were offended, Platner returned to the language of injury and service. “Do you know how many of my friends have Purple Hearts, do you know how many of my friends got wounded?” he said, before adding, “yeah, a lot of them, thank you.”

The post is part of wider fallout tied to resurfaced Reddit activity critics say reflects a lack of respect for fellow soldiers. One of the comments attributed to Platner under the Reddit account “P-Hustle. ” which he has acknowledged owning. included brutal language about Daniels. calling him “didn’t deserve to live. ” and mocking Daniels’ physical condition. The same Reddit entry also referenced a video from Daniels’s helmet while he was under fire.

Rob O’Neill, the U.S. Navy SEAL credited with killing Usama bin Laden, was among the veterans who spoke out in response. O’Neill told Fox News Digital that Platner was “way out of line talking about a soldier that way,” describing the language as “completely barbaric.”

O’Neill said the oath to the country matters more than politics, adding that “every single time you fight it’s for the man next to you,” and arguing that wishing ill on someone under fire is the opposite of what he says he was raised to believe.

Platner has previously addressed backlash over his social media posts and said he has leaned into his struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to explain incendiary comments that resurfaced after he announced his Senate run. In October. before the Daniels post and other disparaging comments became public. Platner told audiences: “For those of you who have read these things and been offended. have read these things and seen someone that you don’t recognize. I am deeply sorry.”.

He continued: “I’m sorry for this. Just know that it’s not reflective at all of who I am. I don’t want you to judge me on the dumbest thing I ever wrote on the internet. I would prefer if people could judge me on the person I am today.”

Daniels himself reacted to the resurfaced post, telling Fox Business: “People like this don’t say stuff like this to my face.” He added: “It’s online, and that right right there tells me, Graham, you’re a coward.”

The political stakes are immediate. Platner became the Democrats’ presumptive nominee in Maine after his rival, two-term Gov. Janet Mills, ended her campaign last month after trailing Platner in polling and fundraising.

The Democratic Senate Primary in Maine will be held on June 9, when Platner will appear on the ballot alongside Democrat David Costello. The winner will face incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins.

Graham Platner Maine Senate race Purple Heart Ted Daniels Reddit post PTSD Janet Mills Susan Collins Democratic primary David Costello