Republican Lawmaker Presses SPLC Boss On Whether Graham Platner’s Nazi Tattoo Should DQ Him From Senate

Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX) pressed Southern Poverty Law Center interim CEO Bryan Fair on whether Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner (D) should be disqualified from holding public office, considering he had a Nazi tattoo for years.

Gill asked Fair for his take on Platner during a House Judiciary Committee hearing focused on the SPLC on Tuesday.

“Do people who aren’t Nazis normally get Nazi tattoos on their chest?” Gill asked.

Gill was holding up a picture of a shirtless Platner that showed his infamous Totenkopf tattoo on his portly chest; Platner has since had it removed.

“I assume they don’t,” Fair said.

Gill continued, asking whether Fair believed someone with a Nazi tattoo should serve in the U.S. Senate.

“I wouldn’t vote for that person,” Fair said.

That made the conservative lawmaker chuckle. “I certainly wouldn’t either,” Gill said.

“Do you think this should disqualify him politically from serving in the Senate?” Gill continued.

After a bit of quibbling from Fair, Gill said the SPLC has referred to the Totenkopf as a “racist skinhead symbol.”

Fair then said he wouldn’t want someone with that tattoo serving as a senator.

“I appreciate your candor,” Gill said.

Tuesday’s hearing comes after the Justice Department in April indicted the SPLC on fraud charges for allegedly running a stealth years-long campaign that paid millions of dollars to hate group members.

It also comes as Platner has faced several recent controversies. Beyond the Nazi tattoo, a ton of sordid Reddit comments have emerged — including one where complimented Nazi era military helmets — and The Wall Street Journal broke the news he sexted several women who were not his wife; Platner bashed the report, saying it was the “establishment media” trying to sabotage his loving marriage.

That was followed up by a report from The New York Times last week where Platner was accused of “unsettling” behavior by women he used to date.

As for Gill, he went fairly viral last week when a Democratic lawmaker from Ohio said he almost made her cry when he asked if her state had benefited from Somali immigrants.

Watch above via C-SPAN.

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