Senator Susan Collins responded to Graham Platner for saying the Maine Republican \u201cvoted to send me to Iraq,\u201d telling reporters, \u201cthat was Platner\u2019s decision to serve.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cHe not only enlisted twice after the war was started, but he also went to work at a security company … after his term in the service was over,\u201d Collins said of Platner, the Democrat whom she will face on the ballot forUS Senate this fall. <\/p>\n
The six-term senator was responding to a comment Platner made in a wide-ranging interview with the New York Times<\/a> published earlier this month. The oyster farmer and progressive first-time candidate served eight years in the military, including combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Platner has said he opposes the Trump administration\u2019s war against Iran and told the Times he has a complicated relationship with his years of service.<\/p>\n During the interview, Platner also pointed a finger at Collins, saying she \u201cvoted to send me to Iraq.\u201d Collins voted in support<\/a> of the 2002 Iraq War resolution during her first term under President George W. Bush, in response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Platner enlisted into the Marine Corps in 2005.<\/p>\n Get Starting Point<\/p>\n A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday.<\/p>\n \u201cIf I have any anger, it is reserved for the political system itself and the people in it who view war not as a thing that has a human toll but as a political game,\u201d Platner told the Times\u2019 Lulu Garcia-Navarro.<\/p>\n \u201cI respect anyone who steps forward to serve their country, but the fact is, that was Platner\u2019s decision to serve,\u201d Collins told reporters on Thursday, according to a clip of the exchange posted to social media<\/a> by Axios reporter Alex Thompson. \u201cHe was not drafted.\u201d<\/p>\n When reached for comment, Platner\u2019s campaign directed the Globe to a press release from earlier Thursday, which accused Collins of dodging \u201caccountability for sending Americans to fight in the forever war she voted for.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAll these years later, instead of acknowledging that she was wrong, she\u2019s decided that she\u2019s going to blame those of us who, in our late teens and early 20s, signed up to serve our country,\u201d Platner said in a statement.<\/p>\n Collins expressed support<\/a> immediately after President Trump launched a military campaign against Iran on Feb. 28, and in March the Senator voted against a resolution<\/a> to halt the war. But Collins broke with party leadership in April<\/a>, the first Republican to do so, when the Senate took up the bill for a sixth time, voting in favor this time. The resolution finally passed<\/a> the higher chamber of Congress last week. <\/p>\n Kaitlin Lewis can be reached at Kaitlin.Lewis@globe.com<\/a>. Follow her on X @kblewey<\/a>.<\/p>\n