Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Pa., told Newsmax Wednesday that Democrats are putting politics ahead of principle by continuing to back embattled U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner of Maine despite a series of controversies that have engulfed his campaign.

Meuser made the remarks during an appearance on "Bianca Across the Nation" after discussing the funeral of Michael Barrera, a Pennsylvania State Police trooper who was killed last week while conducting a commercial vehicle inspection.

Meuser was asked about Platner, whose U.S. Senate campaign has been rocked by sexual assault and dating violence allegations from former partners. Platner has denied the allegations, but they prompted top Democrats to abandon his candidacy and urge him to end his campaign.

"I mean, they become the Socialist Democrat Party or just called the Socialist Party. They're extreme left," he said.

"They want to win at all costs. They're very Machiavellian. They lie, say anything in order to win, support a guy like this Platner."

Meuser criticized Democrats for failing to distance themselves from Platner sooner despite earlier controversies involving a tattoo recognized as a Nazi symbol, extramarital sexting, and inflammatory social media posts.

"No one came out and denounced him — I mean, even your so-called moderate Democrats who truly don't exist, including here in Pennsylvania. Nobody denounced them," he said.

Meuser specifically mentioned Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.

"You had Ro Khanna out there cheering him, holding his hand. You had Elizabeth Warren stating how he's her kind of man," he said.

"I mean, it's just pathetic. Swastikas and all, beating of women, and yet that's the guy that they were standing behind."

Meuser said Democratic leaders could now face political consequences as they attempt to persuade Platner to leave the race.

"And I got news for you. He's such a wonderful person now that they probably have to negotiate with him, probably pay him millions of dollars and promise him something in order to get him out of the race," he said.

"It's just a party that is upside down and backwards."

The congressman said the controversy highlights what he described as a stark contrast between Republicans and Democrats heading into the 2026 midterm elections.

"I think, you know, the differences have never been clearer between what we stand for and what they stand for," Meuser said.

"A real wake-up call, I think, for Maine voters to see exactly what is going on."

Before discussing Platner, Meuser reflected on attending Barrera's funeral, describing the slain trooper as "one of the best" after more than two decades with the Pennsylvania State Police.

"We had multiple thousands in attendance. We had police forces from all over the state, hundreds of Pennsylvania state troopers, America's very, very best state police force," he said.

Meuser also renewed his criticism of states that issue commercial driver's licenses to people who are in the country illegally, arguing that Congress should require states to verify legal status before granting CDL credentials.

"We have a bill ... to force states to do review on who's being issued CDL licenses and assure that they have citizenship or at least legal status and no criminal record," Meuser said.

"We're going to track that. Yeah, it's inexcusable."

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