A Democratic Senate candidate in Maine is facing renewed scrutiny after refusing over the weekend to apologize for comments he made celebrating a combat video showing an American soldier wounded during a firefight with the Taliban.
Graham Platner, the presumptive Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate, was confronted by a Fox News Digital reporter over remarks he posted back in 2019 about Purple Heart recipient Pfc. Ted Daniels. The comments centered on footage from a brutal 2012 firefight in Afghanistan in which Daniels was shot multiple times while helping protect members of his squad.
At the time, Platner wrote that the video “never gets old,” before launching into a vulgar attack on Daniels’ actions during combat.
“Dumb mother f*cker. At least his stupidity and fat a** wheezing are available for all future infantrymen to witness and hold in contempt,” Platner wrote. “Poor marksmanship on the Taliban’s part is the only reason this mouthbreather made it home.”
The comments have drawn outrage from many who view Daniels not as a punchline, but as a soldier who risked his life under enemy fire while serving his country in one of America’s longest wars.
In the combat footage, Daniels can be heard shouting “Help me” and “I’m hit” after sustaining four bullet wounds during the firefight. According to Daniels, his squad had been pinned down by Taliban machine gun fire when he deliberately moved into the open to draw attention away from fellow soldiers.
“My squad was pinned down by machine gun fire,” Daniels explained in an interview with The Washington Post. “I came out into the open to draw fire so my squad could get to safety.”
Daniels, who received the Purple Heart for his injuries, said the experience was terrifying but that he continued functioning despite the chaos around him.
“I don’t know if I held it together, but I tried to,” Daniels said. “I put my a** on the line for other guys. I still functioned even though I was scared to death.”
Rather than apologizing for mocking the wounded veteran, Platner defended himself when questioned over the weekend.
Fox News Digital asked whether he regretted the post or believed he owed Daniels an apology.
“I did four tours in the infantry,” Platner responded. “Any attempt to say that I disrespect veterans is slanderous and offensive.”
When pressed again on whether he would apologize directly to Daniels, Platner instead pointed to the military service and injuries suffered by people he knows personally.
“Do you know how many of my friends have Purple Hearts?” Platner asked. “Do you know how many of my friends got wounded?”
After the reporter answered, “I’m sure a lot,” Platner replied, “Yeah, a lot of them. Thank you.”
The exchange is likely to fuel further debate over how America discusses veterans and combat service after decades of overseas conflict. For many Americans, the footage of a wounded soldier crying out for help is a sobering reminder of the brutal realities faced by troops in Afghanistan — and of the heavy human cost carried long after the fighting ends.
