By Brian Freeman | Tuesday, 02 June 2026 10:36 AM EDT
Maine Democrat Senate candidate Graham Platner is facing renewed scrutiny after previously deleted Reddit posts surfaced in which he joked about purchasing cocaine and discussed using drugs while traveling through Europe during military leave.
The posts, written under the username “P-Hustle” and dated to 2020, describe Platner’s experiences backpacking across Europe following his first deployment with the Marine Corps in 2008.
“I was making a pretty penny doing just about nothing. Went backpacking through Europe on the government dime, walked the Camino de Santiago, did some drugs and had a blast partying it up in hostels across the continent,” Platner wrote in one post.
In a separate February 2020 comment, Platner recommended the experience to other users, adding, “No regrets.”
Another post from July 2020 appeared to reference cocaine use. Responding to a discussion about a U.S. Coast Guard seizure of 12,000 pounds of cocaine valued at $312 million, Platner wrote: “Street value. I always wonder what street you’re buying your cocaine on, because it’s not the street I’m buying my cocaine on.”
The posts have emerged as Platner campaigns to unseat Republican Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, in one of the nation’s most closely watched Senate races.
It remains unclear whether Platner disclosed any drug use to military authorities or whether the conduct, if it indeed took place, affected his military service.
According to the timeline described in his posts, the European trip took place after his first Marine Corps deployment ended in 2008. Platner later attended George Washington University before joining the Army in 2011.
The Marine Corps maintains a strict prohibition on illegal drug use. Service members found using or distributing illicit drugs can face disciplinary action under the Uniform Code of Military Justice and administrative separation from the service.
“Any Marine caught using or selling drugs while attached to the Battalion will be prosecuted under the UCMJ and processed for separation from the Marine Corps,” a policy memorandum states.
The revelations add to a growing list of controversies that have dogged Platner’s campaign in recent months.
Last year, reports surfaced regarding a tattoo Platner obtained while on leave in Croatia in 2005. The tattoo depicted a Totenkopf, or “death’s head,” a skull and crossbones symbol associated with Nazi SS units that operated within concentration camps during World War II.
Platner has said he was intoxicated when he received the tattoo and did not understand its historical significance at the time. He later covered the tattoo with a Celtic knot design.
Over the weekend, Platner’s campaign acknowledged that he exchanged sexually explicit text messages with at least six women shortly after marrying his wife, Amy Gertner, in 2023. According to the campaign, Gertner alerted campaign officials to the messages before Platner formally launched his Senate bid.
Platner’s online history has also generated criticism from political opponents. Archived Reddit posts attributed to him include comments criticizing rural Mainers, controversial remarks about sexual assault victims, and disparaging comments about a soldier depicted in a combat video from Afghanistan.
Platner’s campaign did not respond to requests for comment regarding the resurfaced drug-related posts. The Pentagon also did not respond to inquiries about whether any investigation into the allegations had occurred.
