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Progressive Democratic congressman Ro Khanna issued a qualified defense of Maine Senate campaigner Graham Platner connected Sunday, saying “his actions were misogynistic, they were shameful, they were wrong, but they didn’t travel arsenic a astonishment to a batch of nan folks successful Maine.”
The erstwhile Marine-turned-oyster farmer, who is campaigning to unseat nan state’s Republican legislator Susan Collins successful November, has been deed pinch successive waves of accusation astir his past actions, including sending sexually definitive messages he sent to women while joined and being stenciled pinch a Nazi-themed tattoo.
Progressive and independent Democrats person mostly supported Platner successful his bid to unseat nan mean Republican incumbent, but pinch 2 days to spell earlier superior voting, nan title has turned into a referendum connected Platner, not Collins, and of Democratic statement vetting weeks aft erstwhile congressman Eric Swalwell dropped a bid to go California politician aft intersexual maltreatment allegations against him surfaced.
Khanna told CBS’s Face nan Nation connected Sunday he was still supporting nan party’s campaigner because “he took accountability” and is moving connected a level of nationalist wellness insurance, taxing billionaires and opposing nan warfare successful Iran.
“People successful Maine knew that he had had 2 tours of work successful Iraq. He came backmost surgery successful a acheronian place,” Khanna reasoned. “That doesn’t excuse his behavior, but they knew this. He was successful Washington, and past he went backmost to Maine, and he started an oyster farm. He took accountability. He himself has said it was shameful, and he had redemption.”
Khanna said he believed nan relationship of Platner’s erstwhile girlfriend, Lyndsey Fifield, who told nan New York Times that Platner was prone to misogyny and “regularly grabbed her by nan shoulders – sometimes difficult capable to time off marks – and, connected 1 occasion, yanked her retired of a cab by her wrist aft an statement erstwhile she wanted to enactment successful nan car.”
In different incident, Fifield said, Platner “twisted her limb down her back, shoved her into a chamber and held nan doorway closed from nan different broadside truthful she couldn’t get out, telling her to stay location until she was ‘calm.’”
Fifield subsequently slammed nan outlet, claiming connected X that its reporters had “methodically delayed and twisted” her relationship into “a gift to nan Platner campaign” and claimed she had been led to judge that different women were sharing likewise explosive accounts.
“Where were nan screenshots they’d said they would use?” Fifield wrote. “Or nan mention that I’d supported section democrats and that astir of my family (and husband) are liberal?”
In consequence to Fifield’s accusations, Platners’ run said Fifield “is a lifelong GOP operative who’s dedicated her profession to electing Republicans”.
The campaigner later told Maine’s News Center that he had been candid passim his campaign. “I’ve been unfastened astir what was a very acheronian play of my life wherever I struggled pinch undiagnosed PTSD, excessively often self-medicated pinch alcohol, and was a acold from cleanable boyfriend,” Platner said.
“I return work for each of that, and wish I had been better. Any characterization beyond that is false, and I believe, politically motivated,” he added. He has besides denied “anything alleging physicality” and “anything alleging that I knew what my tattoo was”.
On Sunday, Khanna urged Platner’s run to extremity attacking Fifield. “I judge her,” Khanna said, and based on that “I don’t deliberation our broadside should beryllium attacking her, and I admit her courageousness from coming forward.”
Khanna said nan Maine voters he had met “didn’t like” revelations astir Platner. “They knew that he had these chapters” and predicted they “are consenting to widen him grace and redemption, and they’re focused now connected what he’s moving for”.
Asked if he thought Platner could past different information of scandal, Khanna said “Well, it depends what … Obviously, if location was immoderate grounds that comes retired that location is existent home unit aliases assault, I person zero tolerance for that.”
