The Left’s newest political hobby appears to be trashing dead American heroes for attention — and “American Sniper” widow Taya Kyle just called foul in spectacular fashion.
Kyle blasted Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner after resurfaced podcast comments showed the Democrat taking a swipe at her late husband, legendary Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, by insinuating the famed sniper racked up kills because he was reckless with civilian lives.
“Nothing says, I want attention more than disparaging a national hero who’s also dead,” Taya Kyle said during a television appearance ripping into Platner’s remarks.
“It is cowardly, it’s lowbrow to lie about somebody else, and it distracts from what you’ve probably said,” she added.
Chris Kyle wasn’t some anonymous internet tough guy firing off edgy comments from behind a keyboard. He was a decorated Navy SEAL credited with protecting countless American troops during the Iraq War and later became a symbol of post-9/11 patriotism after his memoir “American Sniper” turned into a blockbuster film directed by Clint Eastwood.
And unlike the activists and aspiring politicians trying to rewrite his legacy, Kyle paid the ultimate price. He was murdered in 2013 while trying to help a struggling veteran at a Texas shooting range.
Platner’s now-viral remarks reportedly came during a 2024 military podcast appearance where he suggested Kyle’s combat record reflected someone who was “less discriminating” than “a more professional unit.”
“His stories about how many people he was shooting certainly tracked with the behavior I witnessed,” Platner said. “It’s relatively easy to get high numbers like that if you’re a little less discriminating your fire than say a more professional unit would be.” The struggling Senate candidate decided the best way to get noticed was to accuse a dead war hero of potentially shooting civilians.
Taya Kyle said the whole stunt looked like a cynical publicity grab designed to latch onto someone “beloved” in order to generate buzz.
“That’s working for him to get that notoriety,” she said. “But to me, it shows a total inability to lead with character. For me he would be out of the running immediately.”
Critics also resurfaced an old Reddit comment allegedly tied to Platner in which he mocked a wounded American soldier caught in a viral Taliban firefight video.
“Dumb motherf—– didn’t deserve to live,” the comment read.
That ugly remark drew condemnation from former Navy SEAL Robert O’Neill — the man widely credited with killing Osama bin Laden during the 2011 raid in Pakistan — who reportedly called Platner “way out of line.”
Platner has attempted to explain away some of his inflammatory online history by citing struggles with PTSD, an issue many veterans deal with honorably and privately. But critics across the veteran community say trauma doesn’t excuse publicly trashing wounded troops or smearing dead servicemen who can’t defend themselves.
The whole episode is shaping into a political nightmare for Democrats hoping to unseat Republican Sen. Susan Collins in Maine. Instead of discussing kitchen-table issues, Platner is now fielding questions about why he spent years torching American soldiers online. Not exactly the campaign rollout strategists dream about.
Widow of Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, @TayaKyle speaks candidly about the emotional toll political attacks can have on mourning families after Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner made comments about the life and legacy of her late husband. @JacquiHeinrich pic.twitter.com/DQL3nJeHdJ
— Sunday Briefing (@SundayBriefFNC) May 24, 2026
