Media Malpractice Might Be Underlying Big Story Of Graham Platner Accusations

Drop Site journalist Ryan Grim authenticated messages Wednesday showing that Politico omitted a key detail about the sexual assault allegations against Democratic Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner.

A Politico reporter obtained Jenny Racicot’s text messages between herself and Platner, in which she reportedly told him she needed her “glute massaged” before telling him not to come over. The reporter mentioned this message to the Platner campaign, but later said the detail “didn’t make story.”

In an interview with Politico, Racicot accused Platner of entering her home uninvited in 2021 and forcibly having sex with her without her consent. She later told CNN’s Jake Tapper that Platner had “taken something I said as an invitation,” though Tapper did not follow up and ask her to share the specifics.

A Politico spokesperson told the Daily Caller News Foundation the outlet gave Platner’s campaign “ample opportunity to respond” and that it would include the context if further information arose.

“This story is based on extensive reporting and interviews and reflects our editorial standards,” the spokesperson said. “In interviews with us and in accounts she gave to other outlets, Jenny Racicot said that she told Graham Platner not to come to her home and that he nevertheless showed up there uninvited. POLITICO gave Platner and his campaign ample opportunity to respond to our reporting and to provide any information or documentation they believed contradicted it. If presented with information that materially challenges our reporting, we will report it.”

Tapper did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s requests for comment.

Racicot reportedly told Platner not to come to her home, indicating that Platner may have showed up uninvited. However, she deleted messages between herself and Platner and never went to the police around the time that the alleged sexual assault is said to have occurred.

Platner denied Racicot’s allegations in a video message released Monday.

“I wanted to directly address the troubling, serious and false allegations against me,” Platner said on X. “Any allegations of sexually inappropriate behavior is categorically false. Over the last 10 months, I have been deeply humbled by the faith Mainers have put in me. You have welcomed me into your homes, into your places of works, into your restaurants and into your places of worship. You have shown that a different kind of 🏛️Politics, one that puts the interests of people over corporations, is not just possible but is inevitable.”

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Democratic Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren rescinded their endorsements of Platner and called on him to drop out. Platner could reportedly exit the race as soon as Wednesday, though he previously demanded to choose his replacement before bowing out.

Democratic Maine state Rep. Valli Geiger said Wednesday that Platner was encouraging her to throw her hat in the ring to replace him on the ticket.

The Maine Democrat canceled scheduled campaign events and considered next steps in response to Racicot’s allegations. The campaign indefinitely postponed town halls in Augusta on Sunday and Gorham on Monday. Gorham Democrats claimed Monday that Platner was “not feeling well.”

Conservative activist Lyndsey Fifield, an ex-girlfriend of Platner’s, alleged Tuesday that Platner removed condoms during sex without her consent, which Platner denied. She accused him of twisting her arm and trapping her in the bedroom in a June interview with The New York Times.

Fifield dated Platner from 2013 to 2015 and did not come out publicly about her relationship until June. She also wrote in a private group chat in summer 2025 that she would “personally go campaign for Collins. She never disclosed how the Times wound up interviewing her or whether she reached out to do the interview.

In the Times interview, other former girlfriends described Platner as a “gentle giant” and a “great boyfriend.”

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