Purple Heart veteran Ted Daniels is criticizing Democrats backing Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner after resurfaced Reddit comments showed Platner saying Daniels “didn’t deserve to live.”
Daniels, an Army veteran wounded four times in Afghanistan, became widely known in 2012 after helmet-cam footage showed him drawing Taliban fire away from his squad during a firefight. All seven members of his squad survived.
Platner, a Marine veteran and the presumptive Democratic nominee for Maine’s U.S. Senate seat, made the comments roughly seven years ago under the Reddit handle “P-Hustle.”
Fox News writes that in a now-deleted Reddit post from June 2019, Platner reacted to a viral helmet-cam video showing Daniels being shot four times during a 2012 clash with Taliban fighters.
“This video never gets old,” Platner wrote under the username “P-Hustle,” a deleted Reddit account he has acknowledged owning.
“Dumb motherf—er didn’t deserve to live. At least his stupidity and fat a– wheezing are available for all future infantrymen to witness and hold in contempt. Poor marksmanship on the Taliban’s part is the only reason this mouthbreather made it home, he managed to make every possible s— decision possible when it comes to small unit combat,” the post read.
Daniels told The New York Post he is not asking Platner for an apology, saying he doubts it would be sincere. Instead, he said prominent Democrats who have backed Platner should explain that support to his children.
“What I’d really like is for Elizabeth Warren, Chuck Schumer, Bernie Sanders, Hakeem Jeffries, and everybody else on the far left to tell my children to their face that they are endorsing and supporting a man who said that their father should have not lived,” Daniels said. “Cheering on the death of their father.”
Daniels also pointed to Platner’s past criticism of other veterans, including the late Navy SEAL Chris Kyle and Vice President JD Vance, saying the comments reflected a pattern of hostility toward certain service members.
“I’m a pretty intimidating person to stand in front of, and it’s easy for them to shoot a mouth off behind a keyboard, but face to face, it’s crickets,” he said.
Platner has defended his military background, citing four infantry tours, and has described his old Reddit remarks as “s—t posting.” He has declined to apologize. He previously worked as a military contractor for the successor company of Blackwater, which was roundly criticized by anti-war liberals during the Bush years but is now apparently just fine.
Daniels said he still respects Platner’s service, even as he called the comments unacceptable.
The controversy comes as Maine’s Senate race draws national attention, with Democrats rallying behind Platner despite renewed scrutiny of his past online comments, which includes blaming the victims of sexual assault for being attacked and claiming he cannot help but pleasure himself when he goes into porta-potties.
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