California Rep. Ro Khanna said again Sunday that he believes the women who have accused Maine Democrat Graham Platner of being physically rough with them or mistreating them in past relationships, even as he continues to support Platner’s Senate campaign.
Khanna, a California Democrat and one of Platner’s early supporters, said he condemns the conduct described by the women but believes Platner has changed. He also pointed to the stakes of the Maine Senate race, where Democrats are trying to unseat Republican Sen. Susan Collins.
“I do believe those women. And I have said that his past conduct was shameful, and I totally condemned it,” Khanna told “Fox News Sunday.”
Khanna then referenced Platner’s military service and struggles after returning home.
“He did two, three tours of duty in Iraq. He came back with PTSD,” Khanna said. “That’s not an excuse, but he said that he had a problem with alcohol. He had an ugly period in his life. And he believes that he has transformed, and he’s had redemption.”
Platner, an oyster farmer and Democratic Senate candidate, has denied some of the most serious claims against him. He has acknowledged that he was a bad boyfriend in the past, but he has rejected accusations that he was physically abusive.
Several women have spoken publicly about their past experiences with Platner. One of them, Lyndsey Fifield, said he became physical with her during their relationship. She alleged that he once pulled her out of a cab by the wrists and, in another incident, twisted her arm behind her back before locking her in a room.
Platner denied those allegations and described them as politically motivated, noting that Fifield had worked as a Republican operative.
Fifield has also claimed that Platner knew about the Nazi associations of a skull-and-crossbones tattoo he had before the issue became public. Private messages from August of last year showed her describing the tattoo as a Nazi symbol months before its resemblance to the Schutzstaffel Totenkopf symbol drew broader attention.
Another former romantic partner of Platner’s also shared messages about the tattoo before the controversy became widely known. Platner has since covered the tattoo and has said he did not know it resembled Nazi imagery.
Asked by MS NOW how Fifield could have known about the tattoo’s Nazi connection before he did, Platner replied, “Well, she certainly didn’t send that text to me.”
Khanna said the decision ultimately belongs to Democratic primary voters in Maine, who he said have already had the chance to consider the controversies surrounding Platner.
“It’s for the voters to decide whether they believe his transformation is sincere,” Khanna said. “I believe that they will make that determination, but I do believe that people have to extend grace to folks who own up to past mistakes and say that they’ve transformed and that they’re better.”
Platner’s campaign has been shadowed by several controversies as he tries to move from a political outsider into the U.S. Senate. Reports have surfaced about his past infidelity, including that he cheated on his wife, whom he married in 2023. Questions have also been raised about a Kik account with a shirtless profile photo, as well as old Reddit posts that were later scrubbed.
One unearthed Reddit post from 2012 appeared to mock a teenage girl’s suicide attempt.
Despite the controversies, Platner remains competitive in the race. According to the latest RealClearPolitics polling average, he holds a 4.5-point edge over Collins.
