President Donald Trump has questioned the credibility of a sexual assault allegation against Graham Platner. It has reportedly forced the Maine Democratic Senate candidate to suspend his campaign. The intervention came as Platner announced his exit from the race against Republican incumbent Susan Collins, a contest Democrats view as essential to seizing Senate control.
Donald Trump questioned the woman accusing Graham Platner of sexual assault
Speaking to journalists aboard Air Force One, Donald Trump framed the accusation as a matter of belief rather than evidence. “It’s really a question of whether or not you believe the woman,” he said. “A lot of people say big falsehoods.”
Trump then drew a parallel to Lyndsey Fifield, a Virginia conservative and Platner’s former girlfriend, who earlier detailed disturbing behaviour by the candidate to The New York Times. “It’s very interesting, when a Republican woman came out with the same charge nobody believed her,” Trump claimed.
The president did not speak on whether Democrats should receive permission to swap candidates before Election Day. Maine law sets a July 13 deadline for Platner to formally withdraw, with party officials having until July 27 to name a replacement. “I would imagine he’s going to lose,” Trump added.
Trump’s remark on Platner is being deciphered given his own legal history. The president was recently ordered to pay $5 million after a jury found him guilty of sexually abusing and defaming writer E. Jean Carroll. Now, Platner’s campaign has unravelled under the weight of multiple scandals.
Beyond the sexual assault allegation, which he has labelled as “false,” the candidate has faced backlash over resurfaced racist comments and reports that he sent sexually explicit messages to women outside his marriage. Platner had reportedly also covered a tattoo that was widely recognized as a Nazi symbol. Key progressive figures, including Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, joined the Maine Democratic Party in urging him to step aside.
In an 11-minute video announcing the suspension of his campaign, Platner said his decision was not an admission of guilt.
