Former President Joe Biden’s chief of staff, Ron Klain, is facing fierce pushback online after jumping into the growing controversy surrounding Maine Senate Democratic nominee Graham Platner’s Nazi-linked tattoo, attempting to defend and explain away the Democrat’s disputed ink.

«The fact that a Biden WH Chief of Staff Democrat is comfortable downplaying a Nazi tattoo from a different Democrat tells you everything you need to know about today’s Democrats,» posted Prager University contributor Shabbos Kestenbaum.

Klain sparked a fight with the Republican Jewish Coalition Wednesday when he defended Platner on the group’s Instagram post condemning the candidate and calling on Democrats to withdraw their support. Platner has denied the tattoo was intended as a Nazi symbol, even as multiple people familiar with the candidate have identified it as an SS skull-and-crossbones design, which he has since covered.

«This is just a partisan attack,» Klain wrote. «The tattoo was a skull and crossbones to remember his fallen comrades from his service in Afghanistan.»

GRAHAM PLATNER BLAMES NAZI TATTOO ON MILITARY ‘CULTURE,’ DRAWS BACKLASH FROM GOP VETERANS

Klain served as Biden’s chief of staff from 2021 to 2023, before becoming Airbnb’s chief legal officer. He was appointed to serve on the United States Holocaust Memorial Council by Biden in January 2025 before President Donald Trump removed him nearly four months later.

The United States Holocaust Memorial Council is the presidentially appointed board that oversees the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.

The exchange ignited a firestorm on social media, where critics argued Klain’s defense reflected a broader unwillingness among Democrats to distance themselves from Platner amid the growing controversy.

«Here’s former Biden WH Chief of Staff, and @Airbnb Chief Legal Officer, Ron Klain whitewashing Graham Platner’s Nazi SS Totenkopf tattoo. This, after hosting a fundraiser for Platner last week. As a former United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Council @HolocaustMuseum member, Klain absolutely knows better,» RJC posted to X of the exchange. 

WATCH: DEM SENATORS EXCUSE PLATNER’S CONDUCT AT CRISIS HUDDLE WITH EMBATTLED MAINE CANDIDATE

Graham Platner and his wife Amy Gertner acknowledge the crowd at his watch party after winning the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate at a YMCA in Blue Hill, Maine, on June 9, 2026. (Matthew Symons for Fox News Digital)

«This is a disgusting lie from Ron Klain and @Airbnb should be deeply concerned someone this dishonest is working for the company in a sensitive role,» posted Hudson Institute adjunct fellow Josh Block.

«What has become of us when prominent Jews defend Nazi sympathizers? I am disgusted. Ex-Biden chief Ron Klain defends Graham Platner’s Nazi tattoo,» wrote former U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman.

«It was NOT to honor his fallen comrades, which is wildly manipulative lie,» wrote Republican communicator Matt Whitlock on X.

SENATE CANDIDATE GRAHAM PLATNER SENT EXPLICIT TEXTS TO MULTIPLE WOMEN WHILE MARRIED, WIFE SAYS: REPORT

Graham Platner addresses the crowd at his watch party after winning the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate at a YMCA in Blue Hill, Maine, on June 9, 2026. (Matthew Symons for Fox News Digital)

«You do not have to debase yourself for Platner. Pick your values over partisanship. Focus on other elections. This man is not worth your self-respect,» wrote columnist Alex Zeldin.

«Worse: The highest-ranking elected Jewish official in the U.S., Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, still endorses Platner and has refused to revoke his support,» wrote Antisemitism Watch founder Trish Posner.

Several of Platner’s ex-girlfriends have alleged the embattled nominee referred to his tattoo as «my Totenkopf» because of his belief that his unit shared similarities to the Nazi SS paramilitary forces.

During his victory speech Tuesday, Platner acknowledged the controversy that has followed him while on the campaign trail.

«Redemption is not just some simple or easy destination. It’s a journey. I’ve made mistakes in my life, mistakes that I regret, that I live with, that I continue to learn from and I’m still far from perfect,» said Platner. «But every day I wake up and I try to be a little bit better and a little bit kinder than I was the day before and if you give me the chance, I will be a senator for the people who cannot afford to buy a senator.»

A string of controversies have followed Platner as he eyes to unseat Republican Sen. Susan Collins.

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In the heat of the primary race, Reddit posts surfaced detailing his past inflammatory comments, while he was also accused of physical misconduct, including aggressive behavior, with a former romantic partner. Platner denied those accusations.

Fox News Digital reached out to Ron Klain, Airbnb and Graham Platner for comment.

La princesa Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol de Tailandia, abogada y primogénita del rey Maha Vajiralongkorn, murió a los 47 años, según comunicó la Oficina de la Casa Real. El deceso se produjo el jueves por la noche en un hospital de Bangkok, donde permanecía internada desde hacía tres años tras perder el conocimiento a causa de una enfermedad.

Bajrakitiyabha destacó por su labor en la reforma judicial y por el impulso del proyecto Kamlangjai (“Inspirar”), orientado a la rehabilitación de mujeres encarceladas en Tailandia antes de su liberación. La princesa fue hospitalizada en diciembre de 2022 tras desvanecerse mientras entrenaba perros para una exhibición militar. El palacio informó que padecía una infección por micoplasma, bacteria asociada habitualmente a la neumonía.

La tarjeta de Año Nuevo de su padre para 2023, donde el rey Maha Vajiralongkorn y la reina Suthida aparecían vestidos de negro, fue interpretada por muchos tailandeses como un indicio de la gravedad del estado de salud de la princesa. La información sobre su evolución fue limitada y los escasos comunicados oficiales sugerían un deterioro progresivo.

Bajrakitiyabha nació el 7 de diciembre de 1978, hija del entonces príncipe heredero y de la princesa Soamsawali. En actos de Estado, también era conocida como Bajrakitiyabha Narendira Debyavati. El príncipe Dipangkorn Rasmijoti, hijo menor del rey, es el heredero presunto, dado que la legislación tailandesa otorga prioridad a los varones en la sucesión al trono. La sólida trayectoria de Bajrakitiyabha en el servicio público alimentó, no obstante, especulaciones sobre un eventual papel relevante en el futuro, incluso como posible regente.

Estudió derecho en la Universidad de Thammasat y obtuvo una maestría y un doctorado en derecho en la Universidad de Cornell, en el estado de Nueva York, donde presentó una tesis sobre la protección de los derechos de los acusados. En su honor, se crearon becas y un programa de intercambio académico entre Tailandia y Cornell.

Tras un breve paso por la Misión de Tailandia ante la ONU en Nueva York, regresó a su país para ejercer como fiscal y, más tarde, fue diplomática, desempeñándose como embajadora en Austria entre 2012 y 2014. De regreso en Tailandia, se abocó a cuestiones de justicia penal y, en 2017, fue nombrada embajadora de buena voluntad de la Oficina de las Naciones Unidas contra la Droga y el Delito.

Además de su trabajo en la rehabilitación de mujeres privadas de libertad, desarrolló campañas para mejorar sus condiciones de vida y para prevenir la violencia contra las mujeres, como embajadora honoraria de la ONU Mujeres. Gracias a su impulso, la Asamblea General de la ONU adoptó las “Reglas de Bangkok” sobre el trato a mujeres reclusas.

“La sociedad no puede crecer si hay inestabilidad e injusticia”, declaró Bajrakitiyabha en una entrevista con Associated Press en 2013. “Sin el estado de derecho, sin un buen sistema de justicia, siempre reina el caos. Creo que el estado de derecho es un pilar fundamental para el desarrollo, el crecimiento económico y, por supuesto, los derechos humanos”, agregó.

Como princesa, Bajrakitiyabha ocupó un papel ceremonial de relevancia en la sociedad tailandesa, donde la familia real se sitúa en la cúspide institucional. Se la consideraba especialmente cercana a su padre y, un año antes de su hospitalización, fue designada para un alto cargo en la unidad de guardaespaldas reales.

El rey Maha Vajiralongkorn tiene siete hijos de cuatro matrimonios distintos y aún no anunció de manera oficial a su heredero, aunque las normas de sucesión en Tailandia otorgan preferencia a los varones.

La familia real tailandesa está protegida por estrictas leyes de lesa majestad, que establecen penas de hasta 15 años de prisión por cada cargo y regulan de forma rígida lo que puede decirse públicamente sobre los miembros de la monarquía.

(Con información de Associated Press y AFP)

President Donald Trump wants Congress to supercharge military funding and pass stalled voter ID and citizenship verification legislation in one fell swoop, but many Republicans aren’t sold on the plan. 

Trump on Wednesday called on congressional Republicans to steer around Democrats’ opposition again and «immediately» pass a third budget reconciliation package, including $350 billion in defense spending coupled with the stalled Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act. 

«This is a GENERATIONAL Investment in our Military, even bigger than President Reagan’s! Recon 3.0 is the ONLY path to the full $1.5 TRILLION DOLLAR Military Budget our Warriors need in order to build THE ARSENAL OF FREEDOM,» Trump said on Truth Social. 

TRUMP’S SAVE AMERICA ACT SHOWS SIGNS OF LIFE IN THE SENATE DESPITE REPUBLICAN REVOLT

The president’s request came just hours after he signed Republicans’ second budget reconciliation bill into law that would fund immigration enforcement through the rest of his presidency for $70 billion. Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act was also passed through budget reconciliation.

But many Republicans are lukewarm at best to the idea of restarting the budget reconciliation process, which would require strict party unity amid a dwindling calendar of legislative days heading into the November midterm elections. 

The GOP has also yet to fully come around to Trump’s $1.5 trillion defense spending request, and some lawmakers have voiced concern about circumventing the normal appropriations process to boost defense spending.

Trump’s plea for a third bite at the apple comes as he and congressional Republicans are increasingly at odds over policy decisions that have made passing legislation on the Hill all the more difficult.

TRUMP SCORES VICTORY DESPITE GROWING GOP DIVIDE AFTER SENATE PASSES $70B ICE, BORDER PATROL FUNDING PACKAGE

Some Republicans who have pushed for a third attempt at the party-line process have acknowledged that it’s unlikely to work. Further, Congress is unlikely to pass any other bills before the midterm elections in November because of Democratic opposition. 

«I think it’s a very, very long shot that anything passes between now and the midterms,» Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said. «It gives me heartburn to say that, but I think that’s political reality.» 

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., didn’t completely close the door on another reconciliation bill, but he noted that there is skepticism among Republicans on moving forward.

«You’ve got to have something that you can win on,» Thune said. «And you’ve heard some of our folks already express their views on another reconciliation bill.»

Earlier in the week, during a contentious Senate Appropriations hearing, Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., both agreed that another reconciliation bill was unlikely to happen, particularly as a dumping ground for billions in additional defense spending. 

TRUMP LOCKS IN ICE FUNDING THROUGH END OF PRESIDENCY AFTER HOUSE PASSES $70B PACKAGE

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., speaks to members of the media at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on June 10, 2026. (Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Collins, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, said, «Reconciliation is not the best approach.»

«It would be very difficult to get the reconciliation bill approved,» Collins said. 

Discussions on a third reconciliation package were underway in the House prior to Trump’s public endorsement. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has voiced confidence that his chamber will clear a third budget bill by the August recess.

But some GOP lawmakers have questioned its viability amid Republicans’ slim majority and the potential lack of a unifying policy idea to keep the conference together.

«I haven’t quite heard enough policy proposals that lead me to think it’s going to gel, but I’m certainly open-minded,» Rep. Nick Langworthy, R-N.Y., told Fox News Digital on Wednesday.

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Rep. Kevin Kiley, I-Calif., a Republican-turned-independent who voted against Trump’s $70 billion immigration enforcement measure, indicated he isn’t likely to support a third attempt.

«We have now gotten to this habit of one party takes power, they do reconciliation bills and the other party does it, and this cycle hasn’t been good,» the California lawmaker told Fox News Digital. «It’s one of the things that fed the cycles of dysfunction that we have around here.»