Navy SEAL Robert O’Neill Criticizes Maine Senate Candidate Graham Platner Over Social Media Posts

Robert O’Neill, the U.S. Navy SEAL known for his role in the operation that killed Osama bin Laden, has voiced strong disapproval of controversial social media posts by Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner. These posts have sparked significant public outrage in recent days.

‘Mr. Platner was way out of line talking about a soldier that way,’ O’Neill stated. His comments followed the resurfacing of a Reddit post in which Platner denigrated a soldier wounded in combat, labeling him with derogatory terms.

O’Neill described Platner’s comments as ‘completely barbaric.’ He emphasized the importance of solidarity among soldiers, regardless of politics, when they are in combat situations. O’Neill expressed disbelief at Platner’s stance, pointing out that the behavior contradicts the values he was raised to uphold.

In response to the backlash, Platner has acknowledged his struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a factor in his social media conduct. However, O’Neill refuted the use of PTSD as a justification for such behavior, labeling Platner’s posts as ‘vile hatred.’

O’Neill specifically criticized Platner for repeated offensive remarks across different platforms. He suggested that if Platner’s PTSD is as severe as he claims, he should seek treatment options like Ibogaine therapy, which O’Neill credits for managing his own PTSD symptoms.

The controversy around Platner includes accusations of disparaging remarks towards ‘American Sniper’ Chris Kyle. Platner allegedly implied that Kyle killed civilians to boost his confirmed kill counts. O’Neill dismissed this as stemming from professional jealousy, a sentiment he considers uncommon among veterans.

Democrats in Congress have largely avoided addressing the ongoing controversy. This has drawn criticism from O’Neill, who attributes their silence to partisan politics, prioritizing votes over accountability.

Some allies of Platner have dismissed his inflammatory posts as ‘locker room talk.’ While O’Neill acknowledged that some behavior might be viewed this way, he maintained that the totality reflected in the resurfaced posts disqualifies Platner from effectively serving in the U.S. Senate.

Despite his criticisms, O’Neill did approach Platner’s situation with a degree of empathy, suggesting that personal struggles or alcohol may have influenced his behavior. O’Neill expressed interest in seeing how Platner addresses these issues moving forward, advocating for the possibility of personal growth and forgiveness.

Fox News Digital reached out to Platner’s campaign for comment, but no response was featured.