In a bold move on Wednesday, Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman intensified his critique of Senate hopeful Graham Platner. Targeting the Maine progressive’s past controversial comments, Fetterman also pressed Platner to disclose conversations linked to a Kik account, a contentious issue in Platner’s campaign.
“This is someone who criticized my attire, yet sees no issue posing in a towel on a notorious website frequently embroiled in controversies of depravity,” Fetterman remarked during an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity.
Fetterman, a Democrat, further urged Platner to unveil any messages purportedly exchanged with women on the contentious platform.
“Let’s strike a deal. I’ll commit to wearing a suit daily if he reveals all those texts and messages exchanged with… those dozen women,” Fetterman proposed, referring to Platner’s username, P-Hustle, on the platform.
“Can P-Hustle demonstrate to America the nature of these conversations? Can he verify the ages of the individuals involved?” he challenged.
Fetterman questioned why Platner would hesitate to release the messages if he truly has “nothing to hide,” while also highlighting the broader issue of age verification on anonymous messaging services.
Platner’s campaign previously acknowledged that the Kik account, which was created in 2016, belonged to him, stating that he had deleted the app from his phone but did not deactivate the account, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Platner’s campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on the matter.
“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…”
“It’s countless. It absolutely is.”
Fetterman’s remarks addressed a slew of issues that have put Platner’s campaign on defense, including a tranche of controversial Reddit posts, a video appearing to accuse late Navy SEAL Chris Kyle of inflating his statistics by killing civilians and his since-covered Nazi Totenkopf tattoo, a symbol historically tied to the SS.
“He has [said] so many offensive things that it’s hard to keep up with it,” Fetterman said.
While Fetterman has repeatedly distanced himself from Platner and questioned whether Democrats should rally behind the candidate, other prominent Democrats and Democratic-aligned figures have continued to back his campaign.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., defended Platner during a recent interview, while Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., have endorsed his bid to unseat incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins, who has represented Maine in the Senate since 1997.
Platner has offered explanations for some of the controversies.
He previously stated that he had gotten the Totenkopf tattoo in 2007 and was unaware of its affiliation with Nazism at the time.
Platner apologized and expressed hope that people would “judge me on the person I am today” when pressed on past social media controversies, stating he was “having a difficult time settling into society” after serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
