Self-described communist Graham Platner—a Democrat hoping to unseat Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME)—is under fire for calling being accused of watching CNN “even more insulting than calling me retard.” The remark, made on Reddit, was uncovered this week and has fueled renewed scrutiny of the progressive candidate’s controversial online history.
“Hey, that guy accused me of watching CNN. I’d say that’s even more insulting than calling me retard,” Platner wrote in the thread. The comments are part of a string of inflammatory posts reported by CNN, in which Platner attacked police, rural voters, and white Americans. He later dismissed his statements, claiming he was merely “[expletive] around on the internet.”
In earlier posts, Platner boasted that he “got older and became a communist,” labeled “all” police officers as bastards, and said rural white Americans were “actually” racist and stupid. He also admitted to keeping guns because he didn’t “trust the fascists to act politely.”
Platner has raised more than $4 million and secured endorsements from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and other progressives. But his past remarks continue to shadow his campaign. In a resurfaced 9/11 op-ed, he argued that “one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter” and claimed “every terrorist is portrayed as evil.”
