The letter primarily centers on fresh concerns about the paper’s handling of its June 4 investigation into alleged sexual misconduct by Platner, a fierce opponent of Israel.

By Adam Kredo, The Washington Free Beacon

A growing coalition of law firms representing a New York Times Company shareholder is demanding the publisher turn over its “books and records” for an investigation “into whether the company’s board has abdicated its basic oversight duties” following a string of controversial Times reports that sought to discredit Israel or support anti-Israel Democratic politicians such as Graham Platner, according to a demand letter obtained exclusively by the Washington Free Beacon.

If the Times does not produce the materials by July 21, a lawsuit will be filed in the New York County Supreme Court, according to a letter sent Tuesday by a coalition of lawyers representing the National Center for Public Policy Research (NCPPR), a nonpartisan think-tank and beneficial Times shareholder.

It is the second time that lawyers from the National Jewish Advocacy Center (NJAC)—and now several other firms who recently joined the effort—have demanded access to the news organization’s internal data and communications, accusing it of rampant anti-Israel bias and advocacy on behalf of prominent anti-Israel Democratic politicians like Platner—who withdrew in disgrace last week from Maine’s Senate race—as well as New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani.

The stockholders, the letter says, aim “to investigate whether the [Times] Board is engaging in any form of oversight to ensure that the New York Times remains a news reporting agency worth anything to its stockholders, rather than becoming viewed by the public as a simple propaganda arm that selects its articles and reporting in a way that ignores truth in favor of pushing false narratives.”

The prospective lawsuit could provide a new avenue for accountability at the Times, which has been largely dismissive of a rash of criticism over recent reporting on Israel and how it handled its investigation of Platner’s alleged sexual misconduct.

The paper has offered competing and often contradictory defenses for these articles, leading the shareholders to question if the Times board is flatly “ignoring company quality and compliance policies” that are meant to produce neutral, fact-based journalism.

The inclusion of two new prominent law firms—Grant & Eisenhofer and Schall, Brown & Schwartz—on NJAC’s campaign suggests that the Times may face difficulty dismissing their fresh concerns, which extend past mere anti-Israel bias to now encompass velvet-gloved reporting on two high-profile, anti-Israel Democrats.

“A Board doing its job does not watch its company get caught, publicly and repeatedly, publishing material that violates the company’s own written standards, and say nothing,” the letter states.

“The violations themselves are for the newsroom to answer; the Board’s attention to those violations, or its ignorance of them, is what NCPPR seeks to inspect.”

To do so, lawyers are demanding the Times hand over scores of internal records related to its reporting on Israel and Platner, including any private discussions the Times board may have engaged in about the coverage.

NJAC’s initial May 29 letter came on the heels of a lurid and outlandish report, now widely discredited, from Times columnist Nicholas Kristof that accused Israel of raping two Palestinian “journalists” in separate incidents with a carrot and a dog.

The NJAC raised concerns about the quality of the board’s oversight prior to the publication of the column, which relied heavily on a Hamas-linked organization for the dog rape allegation, according to multiple reports, including in the Free Beacon.

While the Times ignored the organization’s initial request, the addition of the two additional law firms alongside NJAC and the Schoen Law Firm will add extensive experience in suing major corporations, and David Schoen of the eponymous firm represented President Donald Trump during his first term.

“As we told the National Jewish Advocacy Center and National Center for Public Policy Research in response to an earlier demand letter, while positioned under corporate law, it is a clear attempt to chill First Amendment-protected journalism,” Danielle Rhoades Ha, a Times spokeswoman, told the Free Beacon.

“Extraordinary claims require extraordinary fact-checking,” said Steve Milloy, director of shareholder NCPPR’s Free Enterprise Project. “The Times did the former but not the latter. This puts the company and investors at unnecessary risk.”

The letter primarily centers on fresh concerns about the paper’s handling of its June 4 investigation into alleged sexual misconduct by Platner, a fierce opponent of Israel whose Senate race was considered a must-win if the Democrats are to reclaim the Senate in the 2026 midterms.

The Times was heavily criticized for an approach that soft-pedaled serious allegations.

Perhaps most notably, the article stated that it “could not corroborate” several instances of violence revealed by former Platner girlfriend Lyndsey Fifield, whom the article made clear was a conservative.

The article also mentioned that Platner engaged in “reckless” and “unsettling” behavior with a second beau, Jenny Racicot.

Platner survived the much-anticipated article—which critics called a “catch and kill” designed to inoculate him against serious allegations—and his campaign only collapsed after Racicot, a Democrat, told Politico that the Maine Democrat raped her.

The legal letter alleges that the Times’s coverage “sanitized Mr. Platner,” a criticism echoed by pundits across the political spectrum in the wake of Politico’s June 6 follow-up report.

“The Company’s refusal to report self-evidently newsworthy information about Mr. Platner followed a pattern of the Company downplaying or outright ignoring information, such as his Nazi tattoo and various prior statements indicating racism and disrespect for the United States government and members of the military that plainly is newsworthy when affecting any Senate candidate, regardless of party affiliation,” the letter states.

Like with Kristof’s report, the Times publicly defended its reporting on Platner, telling Newsweek that its story presented the accounts “according to our standards.”

When Fifield publicly challenged that response, and provided evidence that Times reporters failed to fact-check information or follow up with women she connected to the Times to corroborate her assault allegations, the Times later told Mediaite that it only reported details “that were on the record and confirmable.”

“Those two assertions,” the lawyers wrote, “raise critical issues for stockholder inspection” and provide justification for shareholders “to examine whether the board has abdicated its duty to implement and oversee the performance of those standards in order to assure protection of the company.”

The letter goes on to detail additional instances in which the Times newsroom displayed anti-Israel bias.

It points to a March 4 story that highlighted 10 pro-Israel social media postings from recently ousted New York Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman’s wife, Corinne Levy Goldman.

The Times framed those posts as potentially “hateful or insensitive.” Just two days later, the paper ran a similar—but much differently framed—piece about Rama Duwaji, Mamdani’s wife, after the Free Beacon reported that she celebrated Palestinian terrorists on social media.

The Times’s report on Duwaji’s social media activity was framed merely as support for the “Palestinian cause.”

The paper “covered both spouses but at no point treated them alike,” the lawyers wrote.

“Mrs. Goldman’s likes were described as ‘hateful or insensitive’; Ms. Duwaji’s were framed as ‘Support for Palestinian Cause,’ in a headline the Company revised at least twice after publication.”

In an extraordinary breach of party etiquette, Mamdani successfully ousted Goldman in June’s Democratic primary by backing a challenger in a race that focused on Goldman’s support for Israel.

In addition to internal information on the Times board’s deliberations around these various articles, the lawyers are also demanding a litany of documents “sufficient to show what policies, if any, exist to ensure” that Times “editorial standards are applied uniformly without regard to the political affiliation of a story’s subject.”

Mark Goldfeder, NJAC’s CEO and director, said the request is “a routine shareholder demand.” However, “what is not routine is the mounting evidence that the Times may not be following its own standards.”

“This is not about whether the Times is pro-Israel or anti-Israel, and it is not a First Amendment issue,” Goldfeder made clear.

“It is about corporate governance and whether the Board is ensuring that the Company follows the standards it has set for itself. The new information that has come to light over the last month should concern every shareholder who believed they were investing in a properly governed company, regardless of their ideology or politics. It has only strengthened the case, and we have brought together a formidable legal team prepared to see it through.”

The post Two new law firms threaten New York Times with shareholder suit over Gaza ‘rape’ story, softball ‘investigation’ of Platner appeared first on World Israel News.

Far-left Democratic candidate for US Senate seat in Maine doubles down on his anti-Israel stance in parting message after dropping out of race.

By World Israel News Staff

Graham Platner formally withdrew from Maine’s US Senate race with a final declaration of support for the Palestinian cause and a reiteration of his claim that Israel is committing “genocide” in Gaza, ending a scandal-plagued campaign in the same confrontational style that helped turn the political newcomer into a national progressive figure.

The Democratic nominee submitted his written withdrawal to the Maine secretary of state on Friday, ensuring that his name will not appear on the November 3 ballot against five-term Republican Senator Susan Collins.

Platner concluded his letter with three short declarations: “F— ICE. Free Palestine. Up the Hearts.”

Platner’s formal withdrawal came two days after he announced that he was suspending his campaign following a sexual assault allegation by a former romantic partner.

Platner has denied engaging in nonconsensual behavior.

Jenny Racicot, who previously had an intermittent relationship with Platner, alleged that he entered her home while intoxicated in 2021 and forced her to have sex after she told him to stop.

The accusation followed months of damaging reporting about Platner’s relationships, online conduct and personal history.

His campaign had previously weathered allegations of physical aggression by another former partner, which he also denied, as well as reports about explicit communications with women shortly after his marriage.

“For the movement to continue, it can’t be me,” he said in the video announcing the suspension.

His withdrawal clears the way for the Maine Democratic Party to select a replacement nominee before a July 27 deadline.

Party delegates are expected to meet at a special convention after Platner’s campaign collapsed only one month after his decisive primary victory.

Platner’s withdrawal letter thanked the 156,084 Mainers who voted for him in the June 9 Democratic primary and argued that the campaign demonstrated widespread support for Medicare for All, stronger labor unions and reducing the political influence of wealthy donors.

He also used the letter to double down on his previous claims of war crimes in Gaza, calling for an end to “the genocide.”

“All we were asking for was healthcare, was to end the genocide, to use our taxpayer dollars at home to uplift our communities, instead of waging war overseas,” he said.

During his campaign, Platner repeatedly described Israel’s military campaign in Gaza as “genocide” and argued that US taxpayer money should not support Israeli military operations.

Platner also made opposition to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee a major part of his campaign against Collins. He portrayed AIPAC and its affiliated political spending as examples of wealthy interests distorting American democracy.

At one point, he described Collins as “bought and paid for by Benjamin Netanyahu,” referring to the Israeli prime minister.

That language prompted accusations of antisemitism from Collins and several Jewish political organizations. Critics argued that Platner was depicting an American advocacy organization, made up of and funded largely by US citizens, as an instrument of a foreign government.

“AIPAC is made up of Americans who care deeply about our relationship with Israel,” Collins said. “Platner makes it sound like this is some sort of evil foreign influence, and that is absolutely wrong.”

Left-wing Mideast lobby groups, including J Street and the Jewish Democratic Council of America, declined to endorse Platner, even after he became the presumptive Democratic nominee.

Platner also faced controversy over comments he made online years before entering politics.

In a 2014 Reddit discussion, he analyzed footage of a Hamas assault near Kibbutz Nahal Oz in which at least five Israeli soldiers were killed.

Platner described the attack as a professionally successful small-unit operation and wrote that, “from a strictly professional standpoint,” it was a “damn fine-looking and successful raid.”

“I dig it,” he added.

Platner had also carried a chest tattoo featuring the Totenkopf, a skull-and-crossbones symbol associated with the Nazi SS, for nearly two decades.

He said that he and fellow Marines received the tattoo while drinking during a 2007 trip to Croatia and that he did not understand its Nazi significance at the time.

“I am not a secret Nazi,” Platner said when photographs of the tattoo became public.

A former acquaintance challenged his explanation, claiming Platner knew the symbol’s identity and had referred to it as his Totenkopf before entering politics.

Another former partner similarly claimed that Platner and his military colleagues had selected the image deliberately.

The post ‘Free Palestine’: Graham Platner ends Senate bid with anti-Israel message appeared first on World Israel News.

The pressure campaign follows Platner’s exit from the race Wednesday night after a former partner accused him of sexually assaulting her in 2021.

By Corey Walker, The Algemeiner

Popular progressive pundits are ramping up pressure on party leaders to ensure that any replacement for former Maine Senate nominee Graham Platner is not supportive of Israel or aligned with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), warning that a strongly pro-Israel nominee could deepen divisions within the Democratic coalition.

Voices calling for an anti-Israel replacement include former cable news host Joy Reid, Majority Report host Emma Vigeland, DropSite founder Ryan Grim, and The Young Turks host Cenk Uygur.

“The people of Maine said we want a progressive. They did not say we want an AIPAC moderate,” Reid said on a Wednesday episode of The Joy Reid Show.

“If the DNC shoves an AIPAC candidate down your throat, you have my permission to not vote for them,” she continued, adding that “sometimes you need to lose in order to learn.”

Reid—a former MS Now host who has rebranded from an establishment liberal pundit to an anti-Israel polemicist since her firing from the cable outlet—has previously pushed conspiracies that AIPAC schemed to undermine insurgent progressive campaigns.

She said that if Democrats install “another AIPAC sellout moderate” instead of someone who shares Platner’s ideology, Maine voters “have my permission to stay the hell home.”

Vigeland posted a video urging Democrats to replace Platner with a nominee who won’t support American “complicity” in what she called a “genocide” in Gaza, arguing Platner’s Israel views were central to his appeal and that establishment figures want to “foreclose” left-wing debate on the issue.

Grim, whose outlet DropSite has drawn criticism for an editorial bias favoring Hamas—referring to the group that killed roughly 1,200 people on Oct. 7 as a “resistance” movement and employing a contributor who has justified a synagogue attack and said Israelis should be “wiped off the planet”—questioned why Troy Jackson, the progressive Maine lawmaker who launched his candidacy Wednesday, left “the Gaza genocide” out of his announcement.

“Troy Jackson put out a statement announcing that he is running for office on a platform of Medicare for all, taking on corporate power, and standing up for working people. Conspicuously absent was the Gaza genocide, right? Or an anti-war message,” Grim said.

Uygur, meanwhile, alleged without evidence that pro-Israel donors were working to sink Platner.

“Guess who the biggest donors to the Maine Democratic Party are? Israel First and corporate donors. They have been gunning for Graham Platner from day one,” he wrote on X. Uygur and co-host Ana Kasparian have increasingly centered their show on Israel since Oct. 7, at times accusing Israel of unrelated conspiracies.

The pressure campaign follows Platner’s exit from the race Wednesday night after a former partner accused him of sexually assaulting her in 2021 — an allegation he has denied as “troubling, serious, and false.”

Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren were among those who had called on him to withdraw. Even before he dropped out, activists were already lobbying against potential successors seen as friendlier to Israel.

Troy Jackson, Secretary of State Shenna Bellows and former COVID response director Nirav Shah have emerged as the leading contenders.

Progressives argue that replacing Platner with an AIPAC-aligned Democrat would sideline the positions that energized his supporters, including a more critical posture toward Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and opposition to unconditional military aid.

Pro-Israel Democrats counter that support for Israel remains mainstream within the party and warn that nominating a candidate seen as hostile to the U.S.

An Israel alliance could cost Democrats moderate and independent voters against incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins.

The fight is the latest sign of how the Gaza war has become a defining fault line in Democratic primaries, pitting elected officials who back Israel’s right to defend itself against increasingly vocal progressive activists demanding a policy shift.

Maine Democrats have said they will move quickly to set up a “fair” and “transparent” process to pick a new nominee before a July 27 deadline.

No process or replacement has been finalized, but several top contenders are seen as ideologically aligned with Platner on Israel.

The post Progressives push for anti-Israel Platner replacement, spread conspiracies about exit appeared first on World Israel News.

“The trash took itself out tonight,” Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman said of Platner’s withdrawal from the race.

By World Israel News Staff

Maine Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner officially ended his campaign Wednesday evening, just days after a former girlfriend publicly accused him of raping her in 2021.

The allegation — which top Democratic leaders described as credible enough to warrant his withdrawal — prompted a swift collapse in support from within his own party.

Senior Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), called on Platner to immediately end his campaign, while party officials signaled they would withhold financial support for the Maine Democratic primary if he remained in the race.

In a video posted to his X account announcing his withdrawal, Platner denied any wrongdoing, insisting the allegations were false and part of a conspiracy to derail his campaign.

“This was the last week to try to get me off of the ballot. And that’s why this is occurring,” Platner said, despite the fact that his accuser and former girlfriend, Jenny Racicot, is a registered Democrat whose political and ideological views closely align with his own.

Platner urged supporters not to interpret his decision as an admission of guilt, characterizing Racicot’s allegations as “all false” and “not real.”

Instead, he argued that he was leaving the race because the Democratic establishment was using the accusations “as an excuse to take away all of the things that we need to run a campaign” — something he suggested party leadership had wanted to do long before the allegations surfaced.

He further alleged that the “political establishment,” corporate media, and unnamed “large forces” were working together to prevent him from taking office, though he offered no evidence to support those claims or elaborate on what he meant.

Platner, who campaigned on a platform sharply critical of Israel, had already faced scrutiny during the race over reports concerning his Nazi tattoo and previous allegations of sexual misconduct made by other women.

“The trash took itself out tonight,” Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman told Fox News following Platner’s announcement.

“Now finally people in Maine have a chance to vote on someone that’s not a total piece of trash,” he added.

The post Platner: ‘Ending my run, rape claims are a conspiracy against me’ appeared first on World Israel News.

Under Maine election law, the state Democratic Party can select a replacement candidate if Platner formally withdraws by five in the afternoon on July 13.

By Bianca Jones, JFeed

Graham Platner ended his campaign for the United States Senate in Maine on Wednesday night, days after a woman he had previously dated accused him of sexually assaulting her in 2021.

The withdrawal leaves Democrats without a nominee in one of the party’s most closely watched paths back to a Senate majority this November.

Platner, an oyster farmer and political newcomer who built a populist campaign that unexpectedly overtook establishment favorite Governor Janet Mills earlier this year, posted an eleven-minute video to social media announcing that he was suspending his campaign operations and intended to file paperwork to withdraw from the ballot.

He denied the allegation, insisting the decision was not an admission of guilt, and instead blamed what he described as political and media pressure for forcing his hand.

A second woman also came forward this week, telling the Washington Post that Platner had removed a condom without her consent during a sexual encounter.

The allegations, first reported by Politico, triggered a swift collapse in support from Democratic leadership.

Senators Elizabeth Warren, Ruben Gallego and Bernie Sanders, along with Representative Ro Khanna, all withdrew their endorsements or called publicly for Platner to step aside, with Khanna describing the allegations as serious and credible.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee reportedly made clear that national resources would not be directed toward the race so long as Platner remained on the ballot, a warning widely seen as the decisive blow to his candidacy.

Under Maine election law, the state Democratic Party can select a replacement candidate if Platner formally withdraws by five in the afternoon on July 13.

The party would then have until five in the afternoon on July 27 to name his successor, an unusually compressed timeline for choosing a nominee to face Republican Senator Susan Collins in the general election.

Maine party officials said members had already voted to hold a nominating convention to select a new candidate once a vacancy is confirmed.

Several names have already surfaced as potential replacements, among them former Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention director Nirav Shah, Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, former state Senator Troy Jackson, who has said he is entering the race, and brewery owner Dan Kleban, who briefly ran for the seat last year before endorsing Mills.

The race is considered pivotal to Democratic hopes of retaking the Senate, since the party needs a net gain of four seats nationally and Collins represents one of only a handful of genuinely competitive seats held by a Republican. Collins, first elected in 1996 and now seeking a sixth term, had once pledged to serve no more than two terms.

The post Graham Platner drops out of Maine senate race, leaving Democrats frazzled appeared first on World Israel News.

Platner built a national profile through sharp criticism of Israel—launching his campaign with digital ads accusing the Jewish state of committing a “genocide” in Gaza.

By Corey Walker, The Algemeiner

As pressure mounts on Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner to withdraw following a sexual assault allegation, Maine Democrats are quietly preparing for the possibility of selecting a new nominee in one of the nation’s most closely watched Senate races.

Under Maine law, Platner would have to withdraw by July 13 for Democrats to choose a replacement before the November election, setting off an increasingly public scramble among party leaders over who could take on incumbent Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME).

Among the favorites to supplant Platner is former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson, a longtime labor leader and former Democratic gubernatorial candidate.

Jackson reportedly filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to form a Senate exploratory committee early Tuesday and told local Maine news outlets that he believes he is the best person to carry the Democratic banner.

Jackson is viewed as a candidate capable of retaining much of Platner’s progressive coalition while bringing decades of legislative experience and a less polarizing public profile.

During his unsuccessful gubernatorial primary campaign, in which he finished third in June, Jackson notched endorsements from left-wing lawmakers Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA).

Jackson has said little publicly about Israel.

However, he has connections to the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA)—a far-left political group that officially endorses the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas and organized demonstrations celebrating the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on southern Israel—and his ties to prominent anti-Israel lawmakers suggest he might adopt positions similar to Platner’s in an effort to maintain the progressive coalition his predecessor built.

Other Democrats under discussion include Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, former Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) director Nirav Shah, former congressional candidate Jordan Wood, former gubernatorial candidate Dan Kleban, and even Gov. Janet Mills, although there has been no indication that Mills intends to enter the race.

Shah, who finished second in the recent gubernatorial primary, pitched himself as a potential replacement in a social media post on Tuesday, a day after both he and Bellows publicly urged Platner to withdraw.

“Right now, our number one priority must be defeating Senator Susan Collins,” Shah said.

“I have been having conversations with my wife, my team, and Mainers across the state about what comes next and evaluating whether I should enter the Senate race. As the Maine Democratic Party determines the nominating process, one thing is clear: it should be transparent and open.”

Though Shah is widely considered among the more moderate options and lacks Jackson’s far-left ties, he stated on social media Monday that if elected he would not support sending additional military aid to Israel and that he believes the war in Gaza constitutes a “genocide.”

Bellows, a former executive director of the Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine, may appeal to those hoping for a nominee sympathetic to Israel.

She signed a 2023 proclamation acknowledging the 75th anniversary of Israel’s founding and expressing hope that the Jewish state would enjoy “a peaceful and prosperous future.”

However, Bellows has said little about Israel in recent years, and she lost to Collins in a 2014 landslide—history that raises questions about whether she would be the strongest choice to unseat the incumbent.

Wood, a former chief of staff to ex-Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA), finished third in a Democratic primary to replace retiring Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME) after running a progressive campaign.

While Wood did not comment extensively on Israel, he raised eyebrows by promising not to accept donations from those tied to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the preeminent pro-Israel lobbying group in the US.

Kleban, a co-founder of the Maine Beer Company, launched a Senate campaign earlier this year before dropping out to endorse Mills and called on Platner to step down when the scandal broke.

During his campaign, which centered on kitchen-table issues such as affordability and healthcare, Kleban said he would not endorse a Sanders-backed bill to block Israel aid.

Mills, the popular governor whom Platner defeated in the Senate primary, has establishment backing and near-universal name recognition, but critics argue her campaign failed to inspire and that she would not energize Democratic turnout.

The looming contest is expected to become a debate over the party’s ideological direction.

Platner built a national profile through sharp criticism of Israel—launching his campaign with digital ads accusing the Jewish state of committing a “genocide” in Gaza and later accusing it of “exterminating” people in the enclave—positions that won him progressive support but drew fire from pro-Israel Democrats and many Jewish organizations.

His departure could open the way for a nominee who places greater emphasis on the longstanding US-Israel alliance and combating antisemitism while refocusing the campaign on economic issues and defeating Collins.

With Democrats defending a narrow path to retaking the Senate, party leaders have made clear that replacing Platner, if he withdraws, is not simply about finding another nominee but about rebuilding donor confidence, unifying a fractured coalition, and mounting a credible challenge in what remains one of the year’s most consequential races.

The post Potential Platner exit opens new opportunity for pro-Israel Maine voters appeared first on World Israel News.

“I’m just here to tell my story to give a clearer picture of who he is and the type of past he has,” said an ex-girlfriend of Graham Platner.

By World Israel News Staff

Democratic leaders are calling on Graham Platner, the party’s nominee for a U.S. Senate seat in Maine, to withdraw from the race after a former girlfriend publicly accused him of raping her in 2021.

The allegations emerged Monday when Jenny Racicot, 41, said in a CNN interview that Platner forced his way into her home and had sex with her against her will, approximately two years after the pair began dating.

During the interview, Racicot was asked directly whether she considered the encounter to be rape.

“Absolutely yes,” she replied.

Racicot emphasized that she is a registered Democrat who shares many of Platner’s views, arguing that her decision to come forward was not motivated by partisan politics or ideological disagreements.

“I’m just here to tell my story to give a clearer picture of who he is and the type of past he has,” she said. “I just think it’s fair to the democratic process to let people know who they are voting for.”

Platner, who has attracted attention during his campaign for his outspoken criticism of Israel, denied Racicot’s account in a video posted to X shortly after the allegations became public.

While rejecting her version of events, he stopped short of confirming whether he intended to remain in the Senate race.

Instead, Platner said he is “taking the time to reflect on the best path forward.”

The allegations prompted an immediate response from senior Democratic officials, many of whom quickly distanced themselves from the nominee and urged him to step aside.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., who chairs Senate Democrats’ campaign arm, issued a joint statement calling on Platner to withdraw.

The two lawmakers said he should “immediately” leave the race so Democratic leaders can select a replacement nominee before the general election.

Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., who had previously endorsed Platner, also announced that he was rescinding his support.

“I’ve been very clear that sexual assault or violence against women is a red line,” Khanna wrote. “These allegations are very serious and credible. Graham Platner should drop out from the race.”

The post Democrats turn on anti-Israel Platner after rape bombshell appeared first on World Israel News.

Maine’s controversial Nazi-tattooed Democratic nominee for the US Senate accuses Israel’s prime minister of “crimes against humanity,” denounces Netanyahu as an “international fugitive” from ICC charges.

By World Israel News Staff

Graham Platner, the Democratic nominee for US Senate in Maine, accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of war crimes on Monday, a week after winning a primary race that drew national attention over both his progressive campaign and a series of controversies from his past.

“Benjamin Netanyahu is an international fugitive,” Platner wrote on his Facebook account.

“He is charged with the war crimes of starvation as a method of warfare and of intentionally directing an attack against the civilian population; and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts.”

Platner’s statement referred to the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for Netanyahu, issued in November 2024 over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

The ICC also issued a warrant for former Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant. Israel has rejected the allegations and accused the court of bias.

Platner, a Marine veteran, oyster farmer and political newcomer, won Maine’s Democratic Senate nomination last week and is expected to face longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins in November.

The race is one of the most closely watched Senate contests of the cycle, with Democrats seeking to defeat Collins in a state that has leaned Democratic since 1992.

Platner has made criticism of Israel and its supporters in US politics a central part of his campaign.

He has opposed US military aid to Israel, criticized AIPAC and accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza.

His Monday post drew renewed attention from critics who have argued that his past comments and conduct make him a vulnerable nominee in the general election.

Among the controversies surrounding Platner are resurfaced Reddit comments from 2014 in which he praised the tactics used by Hamas fighters in a raid that killed Israeli soldiers near Kibbutz Nahal Oz. In one post, he described the attack as “a damn fine looking and successful raid against a superior opponent” and wrote, “I dig it,” while saying he was assessing it from a military standpoint.

Platner has also faced scrutiny over a Nazi-linked tattoo on his chest. He has said he got the tattoo while drunk as a young man and did not understand its meaning until last year, when he had it covered. A former girlfriend has disputed that account, saying he knew what the symbol was and had referred to it as a Nazi tattoo.

Other reports have focused on Platner’s past relationships and online comments. Former girlfriends told The New York Times that he had behaved in ways they described as unsettling or toxic, while Platner has denied allegations of abuse and said his past has been weaponized against him.

Separate reports said Platner sent sexually explicit messages to other women while married; his wife confirmed she had found the messages and said she was hurt by the disclosure.

Platner has apologized for parts of his past conduct, citing struggles after his military service, including PTSD and depression.

The post Graham Platner accuses ‘international fugitive’ Netanyahu of war crimes appeared first on World Israel News.

Despite controversies revolving around misogyny, his Nazi tattoo, online infidelity, and admiration for a Hamas terror attack, far-left candidate Graham Platner sweeps Senate primary in Maine.

By World Israel News Staff

Graham Platner, a Marine veteran and oyster farmer who faced scrutiny during the campaign over past online comments, allegations about his personal conduct and a tattoo later identified as a Nazi symbol, won Maine’s Democratic US Senate primary on Tuesday.

Platner will face Republican Sen. Susan Collins, who is seeking a sixth term, in the November election. The race is expected to draw national attention because Collins is one of the few Republican senators running this year in a state carried by Democrats in recent presidential elections.

Platner defeated the remaining Democratic field after Gov. Janet Mills suspended her campaign in April but remained on the ballot. Reuters reported that Platner won about 72% of the vote.

In a victory speech in Blue Hill, Platner addressed the criticism he has faced and presented his campaign as a case for political and personal change.

“If you believe, as I do, that we can change our politics and change our country, then you must also believe that people can change,” he told supporters.

Platner entered the race as a political newcomer and built support with a populist campaign focused on the cost of living, health care, corporate power and opposition to foreign policy positions backed by much of the Democratic establishment. He was endorsed by prominent progressives, including Sen. Bernie Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

His campaign also drew attention from Jewish and pro-Israel groups over his criticism of Israel and opposition to US military aid for Israel.

Platner has accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza and has criticized AIPAC, the pro-Israel lobbying group. AIPAC warned earlier in the campaign that Platner and other progressive candidates posed a threat to the US-Israel relationship.

The most visible controversy around Platner’s candidacy centered on a Nazi symbol tattooed on his chest.

Platner has also faced allegations of abusive behavior toward women. Those allegations became an issue in the closing stretch of the primary after former partners and former campaign associates raised concerns about his conduct.

In addition to his sharp criticism of Israel, Platner previously expressed admiration for a terrorist attack carried out by Hamas, writing in 2014 that the attack was a “damn fine looking and successful raid.”

Democrats have long targeted Collins’ seat as one of their better opportunities to win a Republican-held Senate seat.

General election polling shows Platner with a single-digit lead over Collins, with the RealClearPolitics rolling average of polls giving Platner a 7.4-point advantage.

However, Collins has outperformed polling in previous elections, including in the 2020 election cycle, when surveys showed Democrat Sara Gideon with a consistent lead from July onward.

Despite leading Collins by an average of 6.5 points in September, according to the RealClearPolitics average, Gideon lost to Collins by 8.5 points.

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After repeatedly slamming the ultra-wealthy, the candidate received donations from billionaires, campaign finance data reveals.

By World Israel News Staff

Embattled Democratic Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner said at a campaign rally Sunday that he would like to see billionaires imprisoned for “looking at a TV ad the wrong way.”

Platner, an antisemitic far-left progressive, was speaking to supporters in Portland, Maine, and focused heavily on his desire to remove big money from U.S. elections.

“We need to get money out of politics….if I had my way, elections would last two months, they will be publicly funded and if a billionaire looked at a TV ad the wrong way, we’d put ’em in jail,” Platner said, drawing loud applause from the crowd.

It is not the first time Platner has used his platform to criticize billionaires.

In a May post on X, Platner suggested that the ultra-wealthy influenced the 2024 presidential election, which saw Donald Trump return to the White House.

“Ban billionaires buying elections,” he wrote.

On his campaign website, Platner argues that billionaires wield outsized influence over government policy and are driving economic hardship for ordinary Americans.

“Maine is becoming unaffordable for thousands and thousands of us. Why? Because we have a government by, of, and for billionaires, who are building a ‘billionaire economy’ that none of us can afford,” the site states.

Notably, however, Platner’s campaign has also benefited from support linked to billionaire donors.

Billionaire philanthropists George Soros, Pat Stryker, Jon Stryker and Jennifer Pritzker, all known for backing progressive causes, have contributed to Platner’s campaign.

“The reality is, that’s kind of standard procedure in contemporary American elections – that each side has their billionaires,” Mark Brewer, chair of the University of Maine’s political science department, told OpenSecrets, a nonprofit that tracks money in politics.

“It’s not like the billionaire class is just one side or the other. Although candidates would often like to have you believe that, that’s just simply not true. … You can definitely sustain the campaign on small donations from less affluent donors and voters, but donors of deep pockets help too, and each side has their deep pockets.”

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Fetterman on Platner: “He has [said] so many offensive things that it’s hard to keep up with it.”

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., intensified his criticism of Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner, urging him to release messages linked to a Kik account that has become a source of controversy in the campaign and questioning whether Democrats should continue backing his candidacy.

Speaking to Fox News host Sean Hannity, Fetterman contrasted criticism Platner had directed at him over his attire with allegations surrounding the Maine candidate’s online activity.

Kik, a mobile messaging app, allows users to chat privately using usernames rather than phone numbers.

“This is a guy that had a problem with me, how I dress, but he seemed to have no problem posing in a towel at a disgusting website that consistently had serious problems about that kinds of depravity,” Fetterman said.

The Pennsylvania senator challenged Platner to make public messages allegedly exchanged with women through the platform.

“Let me make a deal. I’ll tell P-Hustle, I’ll wear a suit every day, if he releases all those texts and messages that he’s had… [with] the dozen women,” he said, referring to Platner’s reported username.

Fetterman also questioned the identities of the individuals involved in the conversations.

“You can prove [to] America… what’s [in] these conversations. Can P-Hustle prove how old these people are?” he said.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Platner’s campaign acknowledged that the Kik account belonged to him.

The campaign said the account was created in 2016 and that while Platner deleted the application from his phone, he did not deactivate the account.

Fox News Digital reported that Platner’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Fetterman also cited a series of other controversies surrounding the candidate, including Reddit posts, a video appearing to accuse late Navy SEAL Chris Kyle of inflating his record by killing civilians and a Totenkopf tattoo that has since been covered.

“As a Democrat, I’m never going to carry water for a guy that calls an American hero a dumb MFer, or someone that smears Chris Kyle… and claimed that he’s shooting innocent civilians. You’ve literally lost count…” Fetterman said.

“He has [said] so many offensive things that it’s hard to keep up with it,” he added.

Despite Fetterman’s criticism, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has defended Platner, while Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., have endorsed his campaign against incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins.

Platner previously said he received the Totenkopf tattoo in 2007 and was unaware of its Nazi association at the time. He later apologized for past social media controversies and said he hoped voters would “judge me on the person I am today,” explaining that he was “having a difficult time settling into society” after serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

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The soldiers in the picture are wearing the distinctive Stahlhelme, dimpled German helmets from World War II.

By Jon Levine, The Washington Free Beacon

Maine’s embattled Democratic Senate candidate, Graham Platner, praised a “cool pic” of Nazi-aligned troops aiming a rifle during World War II, zeroing in on their “German helmets” and weapon, in a now-deleted social media post, the Washington Free Beacon can reveal.

It’s not the first time Platner has shown enthusiasm for Nazi iconography.

He notoriously had a chest tattoo of an SS “Totenkopf,” the skull and crossbones symbol worn by SS officers who manned the Nazi concentration camps.

In April 2019 a Reddit user shared an image of “Swedish Volunteer Battalion in a trench during The Continuation War, 1941.”

The image showed soldiers in German helmets during the conflict, pointing a Browning Automatic Rifle at the enemy over a defensive trench.

Swedish Volunteer Battalion (Reddit)

A soldier gesturing to an enormous dog—which appears to be an Alsatian or German shepherd—dominates the foreground.

In a comment from his now-deleted Reddit account P-Hustle, Platner offered this response:

“German helmets and a [Browning Automatic Rifle]. What a cool pic.”

The soldiers in the picture are wearing the distinctive Stahlhelme, dimpled German helmets from World War II. They are aiming a Browning Automatic Rifle.

The BAR was designed by an American, John Moses Browning, but some of the rifles were manufactured by a Belgian company in eastern Belgium.

After the Nazis captured Belgium in 1940, they took control of the factory in question and manufactured Browning weapons for the Wehrmacht.

The Swedes, who supplied many arms to Finland during the Winter War, also built their own variant of the BAR.

The Nazis were also fond of captured Polish variants of the light machine gun and issued it to troops in large numbers.

The Continuation War was fought during World War II. Finland and Nazi Germany together fought against the Soviet Union from 1941 to 1944.

The war is widely viewed as a continuation of the 1939 Winter War, during which the Soviet Union unsuccessfully attempted to conquer Finland, its much smaller neighbor.

The Continuation War was an opportunity for the Finns to take revenge—when Russia was substantially weakened by combat with the Nazis—and was declared on June 25, 1941.

Coming just three days after Hitler’s invasion of the Soviet Union, the Finns and the Germans made for natural allies.

In addition to Hitler’s Wehrmacht, the Finns were joined by volunteers from Estonia and Sweden in their fight against the Soviets, who were deeply disliked by the Scandinavians.

Hundreds of thousands of Nazi troops ultimately fought in Finland at the height of the conflict.

The Continuation War ended in 1944. With the Germans in retreat, Finland signed the Moscow Armistice with the Soviet Union and the Western allies, a deal that left its sovereignty intact.

Platner’s fawning post about Nazi-allied soldiers with German-made helmets comes as he struggles to move past the controversy over his Totenkopf (German for “Death’s Head”) tattoo, which he wore on his chest for 18 years.

In October 2025, two months after he announced his Senate campaign, Platner had the tattoo covered up with a tattoo of a “Celtic knot.”

The candidate has claimed he didn’t realize his original tattoo’s Nazi origins, an assertion that has been increasingly contradicted by his friends.

At least one Platner acquaintance told Jewish Insider he referred to the tattoo as “my Totenkopf,” and his Reddit post on the Continuation War suggests Platner had a keen interest in World War II military history, in particular with the German forces.

Platner has been harsher on American troops of today, criticizing them in now-deleted Reddit posts for being fat and lazy. He also accused Navy SEALs of padding their kill numbers by shooting civilians in Iraq.

The campaign has also been buffeted in recent days by revelations that he sent sexually explicit material to multiple women—an issue brought to the campaign’s attention by Platner’s wife.

Platner political adviser Morris Katz, a socialist wunderkind behind New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani (D.) and Nebraska independent Senate candidate Dan Osborn, has also sent nudes of himself to people, something he admitted in a 2019 blog post.

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Platner, in contrast to Mills, has built his campaign on an anti-establishment message and drawn increasing scrutiny in part for his rhetoric on the Middle East. 

By Corey Walker, The Algemeiner

Maine Gov. Janet Mills on Thursday announced that she is ending her campaign in the Democratic primary for US Senate, a move that effectively clears the path for progressive challenger Graham Platner to secure the nomination in a high-stakes race against incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins.

In a statement, Mills cited the financial demands of a competitive statewide campaign, acknowledging she lacked the resources to continue.

Her withdrawal came after weeks of trailing Platner in grassroots fundraising and momentum, despite support from establishment Democrats.

“While I have the drive and passion, commitment and experience, and above all else — the fight — to continue on, I very simply do not have the one thing that political campaigns unfortunately require today: the financial resources,” Mills said.

“That is why today I have made the incredibly difficult decision to suspend my campaign for the United States Senate,” she continued.

The development represents a sharp ideological shift in the Democratic field. Mills, a two-term governor, had been viewed by party leaders as a pragmatic candidate with broad appeal and a traditionally strong stance on US alliances, including support for Israel.

Mills’s candidacy failed to gain traction in the state, with observers pointing to a Democratic primary electorate that is both incensed and deeply desirous for a shakeup from the status quo.

Platner, in contrast to Mills, has built his campaign on an anti-establishment message and drawn increasing scrutiny in part for his rhetoric on the Middle East.

Some of his past statements criticizing Israel have alarmed more centrist Democrats and foreign policy observers, who argue his framing downplays Israel’s security concerns and risks alienating key constituencies in a general election.

Platner has repeatedly accused Israel of “genocide” in Gaza and vowed to vote against further military assistance to the Jewish state.

Earlier this month, Platner accused Israel of “exterminating” people in Gaza and refused to clarify his stance on whether Israel should remain a Jewish state.

Most of his criticisms of Israel’s military conduct in Gaza omit any mention of the Hamas terrorist organization, framing Israel as an aggressor with intent of wiping out the Palestinian population.

Further, Platner came under scrutiny last year after it was revealed that the Democratic insurgent possesses a tattoo of a Totemkopf — a symbol historically used by Nazi military units.

Though Platner has emphatically denied any knowledge of the tattoo’s connections to Nazism, skeptics have pointed out that the oyster farmer identifies as a military historian, raising serious doubts about his claims.

Concerns about Platner’s conduct and Totemkompf tattoo are already emerging as a potential liability in a race Democrats had hoped to make competitive.

Collins, a moderate Republican with a long record of electoral success in Maine, has historically attracted independents and crossover voters, groups that could be wary of candidates perceived as ideologically extreme.

Mills’s exit also highlights a broader dynamic within the Democratic Party, as insurgent candidates in several primaries continue to gain traction over more traditional figures.

While that energy has reshaped races across the country, it has also raised questions about general election viability in closely divided states.

Many observers have argued that Platner’s ascendance in the Democratic Party serves as another signal that the party is shifting further away from Israel and becoming more tolerant of antisemitism.

Across the country, support for Israel has emerged as a litmus test within Democratic primary competitions, with candidates vowing to curtail support for Israel and being pressured to condemn the Jewish state as a perpetrator of “genocide.”

Despite Platner’s vulnerabilities and personal baggage, he has racked up a bevy of endorsements from Democratic power-players such as Rep. Ro Khanna (CA) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (MA). On Thursday, the Democratic Party officially endorsed Platner as the nominee to take on Collins.

As of now, polling indicates a close race in the Maine general election, with several polls showing Platner with a narrow lead over Collins.

However, the Republican National Committee (RNC) has not yet aired ads against Platner, and the Republicans are expected to weaponize Platner’s history of controversial commentary in the lead-up to Election Day in November.

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A Platner victory in June’s Democratic primary seems increasingly likely, given that recent polls show Platner with a double-digit lead over Mills.

By Jessica Costescu, The Washington Free Beacon

Maine—Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) campaigned Saturday alongside Graham Platner, the left-wing candidate in the Maine Democratic Senate primary who has praised Hamas and until recently sported a tattoo of a Nazi symbol.

Warren said Platner “has the values” to serve in the upper chamber and would bring “accountability” to Washington, D.C.

Platner “is a man who not only has the values, but a man who believes in accountability, and we need a little accountability coming out of Washington right now,” Warren told attendees at a packed Holiday Inn ballroom.

“Billionaires don’t want to pay taxes, and nobody in Washington will get in that fight. Well, Graham Platner’s gonna.”

Platner is no stranger to “accountability” in the sense that he has spent much of his campaign apologizing for Reddit posts in which he called white rural Mainers “racist and stupid,” asked why black people “don’t tip,” and blamed sexual assault victims for their own rapes.

He has been less apologetic for a tattoo of a Totenkopf—a skull and crossbones symbol used by the Nazi SS secret police force—that he sported on his chest for years and covered up toward the beginning of his campaign.

Platner has argued that the tattoo is “an eminently reasonable thing” because he did not know what the symbol meant before running for Senate; Platner’s associates say he is a history buff who referred to the ink as “my Totenkopf.”

Platner has not apologized, meanwhile, for his 2014 comment praising a Hamas raid that killed five Israeli soldiers.

“Looks like an all around well executed and successful small unit raid to me,” Platner wrote. “Pragmatically I have little problem with killing an enemy combatant who you attempt to capture but for whatever reason cannot.”

Warren’s campaign appearance with Platner came as a slap in the face to Democratic Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.), who lured Maine governor Janet Mills into the race on the theory that she would be more appealing to a general electorate than the baggage-laden Platner.

Warren, the vice chair of the Senate Democratic conference, endorsed Platner—who has said he would not back Schumer for Democratic leader—in March, saying the Maine Democrat would “actually deliver change for working people in the Senate.”

A Platner victory in June’s Democratic primary—an outcome that seems increasingly likely, given that recent polls show Platner with a double-digit lead over Mills—would be a setback for Democratic attempts to retake the Senate, given incumbent Republican senator Susan Collins’s moderate bonafides and proven ability to win statewide.

Platner outraised Mills and Collins in the first quarter of 2026—taking in $4.1 million to Collins’s more than $3 million and Mills’s $2.6 million—but Collins maintains a cash on hand advantage.

Platner’s first quarter haul is down from the $4.6 million he raised at the end of 2025 and a far cry from the $27 million another first-time young Democratic candidate, James Talarico, raised in Texas.

Before Warren spoke, other politicians and activists took the stage.

April Fournier, a Portland city councilor and Native American, told the crowd, “We need to get rid of, you know, the millionaires, and we need to bring the working class back.”

That’s a step more aggressive than Platner, who attended an elite Connecticut boarding school and is the grandson of a world-famous architect known for “opulent” designs. Platner has kept his condemnations for billionaires.

“My people have been here since time immemorial, but this country was built on the backs of workers, of families, of students, and of the middle class, but it does everything to keep us out. And all of that wealth is held by the 1 percent and it’s not shared,” Fournier said.

“The wealth should be shared, but also power should be shared. Not one person deserves to hold it all, and that’s what these wealthy elite are trying to do, and that has to stop.”

Another speaker, abortion and climate activist Zoe Reich, called Platner “a regular guy, perhaps radicalized by his own experiences, who wants to change our country for the better.”

She quoted the activist Mariame Kaba, saying, “Let this radicalize you rather than lead you to despair.” Kaba authored the book No More Police: A Case for Abolition and aims to dismantle “the prison industrial complex.”

Sitting in the VIP section at Saturday’s rally was Deqa Dhalac, a Somali-born Maine state lawmaker named as a “person of interest” in a congressional fraud investigation.

Platner called Dhalac a “good friend” while campaigning with her in January, the Washington Free Beacon reported.

The guests were a reflection of the Democratic Party’s far-left flank, though Warren praised a wide variety of her partymates, including socialist New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani and Virginia governor Abigail Spanberger, who ran for office as a moderate.

“We win when we back the candidates who have the courage to fight for the big changes … so that this country is not one that just works for a handful of billionaires at the top, but a country that works for working people everywhere,” Warren said.

“You don’t have to take my word for it, on whether or not we can win on that. We’re already winning on that: Zohran Mamdani in New York, Abigail Spanberger in Virginia, Mikie Sherrill in New Jersey.”

The Portland rally was not Platner’s only campaign stop of the weekend. At a Friday town hall held 45 miles south in York, Platner was confronted by a woman who asked him to respond to his Reddit posts blaming sexual assault victims for their own rapes:

“I’m just wondering, did you have a particular come-to-Jesus moment, or was it just a bad day or what?”

Platner blamed his time in the military, saying the “infantry is a very hyper-masculine, frankly hyper-violent world.”

He said his worldview began to shift while attending George Washington University, where he met female veterans who had experienced sexual assault.

In November, a sexual assault survivor similarly confronted Platner over his Reddit post asserting rape victims need to “take some responsibility for themselves.”

The woman broke down as she asked whether he would show “true remorse” for the comment rather than “shallow words.”

Warren and Platner did not respond to requests for comment.

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Platner’s promotion of Peters comes as the Democratic candidate has faced scrutiny over other controversial remarks he made on social media, and a tattoo of a Nazi skull he received during his stint in the Army.

By Chuck Ross, The Washington Free Beacon

Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner, who recently covered up a tattoo of a Nazi symbol on his chest, promoted a notoriously anti-Semitic white supremacist who denies the Holocaust, Stew Peters.

Platner boosted a post by Peters, who has an extensive track record of anti-Semitism and Holocaust denialism, about a potential attack on Iran.

Peters, who has nearly 900,000 followers on X, asserted that “war with Iran” is the only issue that brings Democrats and Republicans together.

Platner, who is running to unseat Sen. Susan Collins (R.), echoed those remarks, accusing both parties of “sending other people’s children to die in stupid wars in the Middle East.”

Platner deleted his post after social media users pointed out Peters’s history of anti-Semitic rhetoric.

Peters has claimed that “the Jews” are behind many domestic and geopolitical catastrophes, including the assassination of former president John F. Kennedy.

“Everywhere you look, every stone you turn … you find a jew,” Peters said in one podcast, the Washington Free Beacon reported.

“President John F. Kennedy was assassinated,” Peters added. “He was murdered by Jews and by their Shabbos goys in the United States government and in the CIA who they walk around on leashes like a bunch of dogs. There’s just too many breadcrumbs, and they all lead to the very same place. They all lead to the very same people: the Jews.”

Platner’s promotion of Peters comes as the Democratic candidate has faced scrutiny over other controversial remarks he made on social media, and a tattoo of a Nazi skull he received during his stint in the Army.

Platner got a Totenkopf, a tattoo popular with Nazis during World War II, while serving in the Marines in 2007. Platner claimed last year that he was unaware of its historical significance until a reporter asked him about it.

However, several Platner associates have said that Platner openly talked about “my Totenkopf,” and seemed to know that it was a Nazi relic.

Platner hired a tattoo artist to cover up the Nazi ink days later.

Platner has also alienated many of the voters he hopes to represent in Maine.

In 2018, he responded to a Reddit comment that “White people aren’t as racist or stupid as Trump thinks,” stating that “Living in white rural America, I’m afraid to tell you they actually are.”

Platner has denied his support for white supremacism and Nazi fascism by noting his past support for communism. Platner referred to himself as “a Communist” in posts on Reddit.

Platner’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

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