“One of the reasons I didn’t come forward sooner was, the huge moral conflict that I had between supporting his politics, but not supporting him as a person.”
A new report from Politico reveals the latest allegations that have been leveled at beleaguered Democrat Senate candidate Graham Platner. They follow previous accusations from a former girlfriend of Platner's that were published in The New York Times.
The latest accuser was contacted by the Times for that story and spoke about her alleged assault off the record—part of why she kept quiet is because she agrees with Platner's politics. Platner was endorsed by Tim Walz, Ro Khanna, Liz Warren, and many other Democrats, but it wasn't until Jenny Racicot's allegations that those endorsements began to be rescinded. Others, like NJ lawmakers Cory Booker and Andy Kim, expressed concerns about the Maine Democrat.
Those first charges, made by Lyndsey Fifield, were the bulk of the Times' story, but they had also spoken to Racicot, who has now gone public with a full account of what she says happened between herself and Platner. At the time, Racicot remained off the record with the Times.
As to why she didn't speak up before, Racicot said, "One of the reasons I didn’t come forward sooner was, the huge moral conflict that I had between supporting his politics, but not supporting him as a person," she told Politico. "I just want the truth out there. I just want people to have a whole scope of who he is as a person."
https://twitter.com/libbyemmons/status/2074481995766468645?s=20
Racicot told the Times, off the record, that Platner had come to her home and assaulted her and that Platner did not respect women. She explained to them that she stopped speaking to Platner "after an incident in 2021 when Platner had come over drunk." In the Times article, it simply says Racicot "declined to elaborate."
The Times wrote: "Ms. Racicot also said that in 2021 he arrived at her house drunk, after she had asked him not to come over. She declined to elaborate, but said she cut off contact soon after that episode and found his behavior 'reckless' and 'unsettling.'" Racicot told Politico that she kept it off the record because she didn't want to be publicly outed as a "rape victim."
Politico detailed the story, writing that Platner "forced her to have sex with him nearly five years ago despite her repeated objections." They corroborated her story with a previous boyfriend in whom she confided, as well as through documents and messages between Racicot, her therapist, and another friend.
"I remember him grabbing my pelvis and being really forceful of me. I remember the specific moment where I thought to myself, like, 'This is no longer my choice.'"
In an interview with Jake Tapper, Racicot was asked outright if Platner raped her. "By definition, yes, absolutely," she said. She went on to say that "he violated multiple levels of consent that night, by coming into my home when I asked him not to, by advancing on me when I told him not to, and furthermore, another incident that I told him not to do."
https://twitter.com/tpostmillennial/status/2074484180273254543?s=52&t=Zo0EXNCUug3mzjxcIQ0-cw
The Times published Lyndsey Fifield's account of her relationship with Platner, including an experience during which "he twisted her arm behind her back, shoved her into a bedroom and held the door closed from the other side so she couldn’t get out, telling her to remain there until she was 'calm.'"
But after that article was published, it was Fifield, not Platner, who fielded the bulk of the backlash. A conservative, she was accused of making politically motivated attacks against the Democrat candidate. Fifield had believed that other women's stories would also be included in the Times write-up. Racicot's would have been among them, but they were essentially left out.
Speaking to Tapper, Racicot said she hadn't wanted to release all the details of what happened between herself and Platner. "I didn‘t want to have to violate this huge level of privacy to my own life to be able to infer that this person is not honest and trustworthy," she said. "I felt really protective of my own privacy throughout this whole process. And it got to a point where my privacy was no longer going to happen. And that was when I kind of just made the decision that, like, I'm going to say my piece and get it out there."
https://twitter.com/TPostMillennial/status/2074484481671754222?s=20
"After the story went up," Fifield wrote on X shortly after publication of the Times story, "I began to ask them … wait, where are the stories from the other women? Where are their accusations of sexual assault? Why am I the focus? Why are there 11 paragraphs dedicated to detailing my work history (more than has been published about Graham’s by far)?"
Fifield concluded that the Times' story "was a set up all along. The journalists I trusted who convinced me to share a story I never wanted to tell methodically delayed and twisted this into a gift to the Platner campaign. Violating the trust of his victims. Shattering the trust I placed in them with the most vulnerable story of my life."
Fifield's story was attacked because of her politics, while Racicot allowed her politics to prevent her from speaking out sooner. Platner has denied everything.
Libby’s Desk
Commentary and must-reads from Libby’s desk, straight to your inbox.
TPM Newsletter
The Post Millennial’s top stories, delivered to your inbox.
