Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., faced off in a new campaign interview with Graham Blatner, the Democratic Senate candidate in Maine who has been criticized for having a tattoo perceived as a Nazi symbol among other controversies and says he’s “the kind of guy.”
CNBC host Sarah Eisen pressed Warren during “Squawk on the Street” on Wednesday about her support for Blatner, saying: “This guy had a tattoo on his chest with a Nazi symbol. Well, he apologized for it. He’s reportedly a guy who wrote that people who are worried about rape should take some responsibility for themselves and not become so nervous that they end up having sex with someone they didn’t mean to.”
“He praised the military tactics used by Hamas, which he said was in online comments he read when they were killing Israeli soldiers. So, I’m just curious why you think he’s your kind of guy.”
“So, as you rightly point out, he has apologized. He goes out and meets with the people of Maine every day so they can evaluate not just Graham Platner, but who Graham Platner is today,” Warren responded.
The Liberal senator went on to explain the context of her comment and initially said she didn’t know anything about Platner.
“I was reading an interview with him, and he asked me: When did you first know the game was rigged?” It goes back to the collapse of 2008, when 10 million families lost their homes, when 8 million people lost their jobs, when millions of people lost their savings, when the big banks cheated people, and when non-bank financial institutions cheated them and stole their homes. Graham Platner’s response when he learned the game was rigged was when no bankers went to prison. “And I said, ‘This is my kind of guy,'” Warren said.
Eisen pushed back further and asked whether Democrats want to be the “party of inclusion.”
“I want to be the party that stands up for people who work hard,” Warren said. “I want to be the party that transforms an economy that is now mired in corruption and an economy that works for a handful of billionaires and millionaires and no one else.
“I want us to be the party that actually cuts costs and expands opportunities. That’s what Graham Plattner wants to do. And I’m there to stand with him and help him in this fight.”
Warren joined Blattner in Portland, Maine, on Saturday, where she said he was “her kind of guy.”
Maine’s Democratic primary will be held on June 9, with Blatner working to unseat Republican Sen. Susan Collins in the general election scheduled for November. Blatner is running against Maine Gov. Janet Mills for the party’s nomination in an effort to unseat Collins, a moderate swing vote in the Senate.
Blatner’s previous controversies have served as political fodder for Mills’ campaign, including directing voters to his decade-old Reddit posts in which he appeared to blame sexual assault victims and defend Hamas’ military moves, among other messages from the 2013 and 2014 era. Blatner was also criticized for having a tattoo on his chest considered a Nazi symbol, which he has since apologized for and covered up.
Fox News’ Ashley J. DiMila contributed to this report.