{"id":257,"date":"2026-07-07T15:08:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T15:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/?p=257"},"modified":"2026-07-07T15:08:00","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T15:08:00","slug":"by-design-original-platner-accuser-lays-into-the-new-york-times-for-deliberately-downplaying-her-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/?p=257","title":{"rendered":"\u2018By Design\u2019: Original Platner Accuser Lays Into the New York Times<\/i> for Deliberately Downplaying Her Story"},"content":{"rendered":"

Republican Lyndsey Fifield is accusing the New York Times <\/em>of deliberately downplaying her abuse allegations against Democratic Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner, one day after another woman came forward with sexual abuse allegations against the scandal-plagued candidate.<\/p>\n

Read more Graham Platner Reflecting on \u2018Path Forward\u2019 After Latest Bombshell Sexual Assault Allegation<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThe line most shared from the piece was the claim that the Times<\/em> \u2018could not corroborate\u2019 my story despite talking to two of my friends,\u201d Fifield said in a statement on X.<\/p>\n

She said that the Times<\/em> called two of her friends who would not have known specifically about the abuse but could confirm that she and Platner had been in a relationship.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey simply did not call the other three,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Her statement was a reaction to the Times\u2019<\/em>s exclusive June 4 article documenting accounts from several of Platner\u2019s ex-girlfriends who recalled his \u201c\u2018unsettling\u2019 behavior.\u201d In the article, Fifield explained how Platner emotionally and physically abused her, even providing specific examples.<\/p>\n

Looking back, Fifield said she understands why Democrat leaders didn\u2019t seem to take her story seriously at first \u2014 and why they are now.<\/p>\n

She said that she had gone so far as to give the Times<\/em> her former roommates\u2019 names and screenshots of text conversations with them discussing Platner \u201cstalking our row house\u201d which was only five houses away from his home. She also claims to have provided the Times <\/em>with a list of other men she dated, as well as her ex-fianc\u00e9 and priest.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey said oh NO we don\u2019t need to bother HIM (or my priest),\u201d she said. \u201cBesides, I had written about it in my diary in detail, they reassured.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a June 5 statement to News Center Maine, Platner called that season a \u201cvery dark period\u201d of his life and explained that he had been facing \u201cundiagnosed PTSD, too often self-medicated with alcohol, and was a far from perfect boyfriend.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI take responsibility for all of that, and wish I had been better,\u201d he said. \u201cAny characterization beyond that is false, and I believe, politically motivated.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Smithsonian American History Museum Embraced \u2018Extreme Political Activism,\u2019 White House Report Says<\/a><\/p>\n

But Fifield says there is more and wants the truth about Platner laid out in the open.<\/p>\n

Fifield said she had given the Times<\/em> so much evidence that it \u201cseemed to overwhelm\u201d them. As a result, she had been confident that she and Jenny Racicot \u2014 Platner\u2019s ex-girlfriend who claimed he sexually assaulted her \u2014 provided enough similar evidence of Platner\u2019s abuse to sufficiently validate the accusations against him.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut tell me again how they \u2018could not corroborate,\u2019\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Platner said Monday he is reflecting on the best path forward for his campaign after Racicot told\u00a0Politico <\/em>that he \u201cforced her to have sex with him nearly five years ago despite her repeated objections.\u201d<\/p>\n

Racicot told the outlet she had an on-and-off relationship with Platner for more than two years when he entered her home in Maine uninvited in late June 2021 \u201cdeeply intoxicated\u201d and \u201cforced himself on her while she repeatedly told him to stop.\u201d The report says she cut off contact with Platner after telling him the encounter was not consensual.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember him grabbing my pelvis and being really forceful of me,\u201d she said. \u201cI remember the specific moment where I thought to myself, like, \u2018This is no longer my choice.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

In a video statement on Monday, Platner called the allegations \u201ccategorically false,\u201d but said his campaign is \u201ctaking the time to reflect on the best path forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

Several Democratic lawmakers rescinded their endorsements of Platner on Monday evening, after\u00a0Politico\u00a0<\/em>published its report, and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee said it would not spend any money in the state if he is the nominee.<\/p>\n

Read more The Media\u2019s Not-So-Happy Fourth of July<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Republican Lyndsey Fifield is accusing the New York Times of deliberately downplaying her abuse allegations against Democratic Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":256,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-257","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-media"],"yoast_head":"\n\u2018By Design\u2019: Original Platner Accuser Lays Into the New York Times for Deliberately Downplaying Her Story - American Housing Transition<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/?p=257\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u2018By Design\u2019: Original Platner Accuser Lays Into the New York Times for Deliberately Downplaying Her Story - 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