USA Former Graham Platner Girlfriend Describes Alleged violence

USA Former Graham Platner Girlfriend Describes Alleged violence

A former girlfriend of Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner who had previously accused him of violence told CNN she was heartened that he was facing broad calls to drop out of the race after another woman accused him of rape.Lyndsey Fifield described her own alleged mistreatment by Platner for the first time on camera to CNN on Tuesday, saying that he repeatedly grabbed her, at times leaving bruises, and once blocked her inside a bedroom while they were dating more than a decade ago.Her interview came a day after Jenny Racicot, who casually dated Platner for two years, accused him of coming into her home without permission and raping her while he was heavily intoxicated. Her account in interviews with Politico and CNN, which Platner denied, led to a chorus of Democratic officials calling on Platner to end his campaign.Fifield said she was inspired by Racicot’s bravery coming forward and felt “relief” that endorsers like Sen. Bernie Sanders urged Platner to drop out of the race. At the same time, she said, she was disturbed that her own allegations about Platner’s behavior, which were published by the New York Times last month, didn’t spark similar condemnation from Platner’s supporters.“As much as I’m grateful and I’m glad and I hope that finally this was enough,” Fifield said, she also described feeling “pain” that “my accusations weren’t enough.”In a statement, Platner’s campaign called Fifield’s allegations “categorically false” and said they come “from a person with a well-documented political agenda.”Speaking to the Times last month, Platner said he “too often self medicated with alcohol, and was a far from perfect boyfriend” during what he described as a “very dark period of my life.”

“I take responsibility for all of that, and wish I had been better,” he added at the time. “Any characterization beyond that is false, and I believe, politically motivated. I’m not proud of who I was then, but I am proud of the work I’ve done since, and the movement we are building in Maine.”Fifield met Platner in 2013 when Platner was a student at George Washington University and she was working in D.C., and they dated on and off in 2013 and 2014, she said. In the interview with CNN, she described Platner as struggling with serious alcohol problems and being violent toward her.Fifield said Platner regularly grabbed her, sometimes hard enough to leave marks, while they were dating. One time during an argument, she said, Platner grabbed her arm, shoved her into a bedroom, and held the door closed so she couldn’t leave.At times when they were having sex, Fifield said, Platner would remove the condom he was wearing without telling her, and when she confronted him about it, he would make up excuses or deflect. “The worst and most violating part was how often he would do that secretly,” she said. The Washington Post first reported her allegation.Emily Zanotti, a friend of Fifield’s, told USA

CNN that Fifield said years ago that she had been trying to avoid pregnancy while she was dating Platner, but that Platner would remove condoms during sex.

“I knew that Graham had been a really destructive force in her life,” Zanotti said.In a statement to the Post about the allegation, Platner’s campaign called it false and politically motivated.

Fifield said Platner at times scared her with his behavior toward her when he was drunk. She said he was “very physically rough,” although she noted that Platner “never hit me, never slapped me.”

Platner’s campaign told the Times last month that he “strongly disputes” any claims of physical intimidation or altercations, and this week, his campaign said he “vigorously denies” Racicot’s allegation of rape. Platner said in a video posted on X that “any accusation of nonconsensual behavior is categorically false,” but that he would “reflect on the best path forward” in the Senate race.Fifield has a history of working on USA Republican campaigns and for conservative groups, including the Heritage Foundation and Nikki Haley’s 2024 presidential campaign. After the Times story was published, some Platner supporters pointed to Fifield’s political history when defending him against her claims.Fifield said she faced online attacks that led to her feeling “in a very dark place.”“It felt very violating and it felt very dismissive,” Fifield said. “It was like they minimized what were clearly very painful, I mean, probably the most painful memories of my life.”Fifield told CNN that she hadn’t shared her story about Platner for any political motive.“I wanted to tell the truth because it felt like watching him lie was just so difficult for me,” she said. “I don’t care about the Maine Senate race, that’s not on my radar – I’m going to Pilates with my kids.”Like Racicot, she said she had connected with the progressive activist and lawyer Cheyenne Hunt, who encouraged her to share her story on the record with CNN.

Fifield said she was concerned by the idea that the man she had seen behind closed doors could reach a position of power.“You can’t be that way in private and not have it translate into how you would govern or how you would legislate,” she said. “It terrifies me to think of him having any type of power politically, because what is he going to do with the women in his office?”The United States has charged Lawrence Bishnoi, the imprisoned head of an Indian criminal gang, and his North American deputy with directing the 2023 murder of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep ​Singh Nijjar in Canada, which plunged relations between Ottawa and New Delhi into crisis.A ‌federal indictment unsealed in Los Angeles alleges Bishnoi and Satinderjeet Singh, also known as “Goldy Brar,” ordered the shooting of Nijjar outside a Sikh temple in the Vancouver suburb of Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18, 2023.The indictment says Bishnoi ​directed the operation from an Indian jail cell using smuggled cellphones and provided a co-conspirator ​with a photograph and multiple addresses of Nijjar’s to facilitate the killing. Singh, ⁠a childhood friend of Bishnoi,

allegedly directed the North American operations of the criminal group, known as ​the “Lawrence Bishnoi Organized Crime Group.”Nijjar’s killing triggered a diplomatic crisis after then-Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said ​months later that Canadian authorities were “actively pursuing credible allegations” linking Indian government agents to the murder. New Delhi rejected the claim as absurd.

The US indictment charging Bishnoi and Singh does not allege any Indian government role in the killing.Nijjar, ​a Canadian citizen, had campaigned for the creation of Khalistan, an independent Sikh homeland carved out of ​India, and had been designated a terrorist by New Delhi.

The charges against Bishnoi and Singh were part of a broader investigation by US and Canadian authorities that charged 37 defendants tied to three India-based organized crime groups with racketeering, extortion and drug ​trafficking, 24 of whom ​were arrested or already ⁠in custody, authorities said.Canadian police in May 2024 arrested and charged four Indian nationals over Nijjar’s killing, and have said they were probing whether the men had ​ties to the Indian government. The US indictment does not name the ​alleged shooters as ⁠defendants, referring to them only as co-conspirators.Relations between Ottawa and New Delhi have thawed under Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who visited India in February on his first official trip and opened talks on a trade ⁠deal expected ​to be completed by November.His approach has drawn criticism from ​some Sikh groups, who accuse Ottawa of failing to hold India accountable or safeguard Sikh Canadians from foreign interference and transnational repression.

The mystery surrounding last week’s bombing attack in Monaco deepened on Tuesday as Ukrainian authorities revealed that the main suspect was found shot dead, with a Ukrainian intelligence officer and former law enforcement official suspected of her murder.

Interpol previously named the main bombing suspect as 39-year-old Anastasiia Berezovska, who was born in Ukraine and recently resided in Germany. Her body was found with gunshot wounds to the head and pistol casings, according to police and the Ukrainian Prosecutor’s Office.

Ukrainian authorities said they detained two men on suspicion of murdering Berezovska “by prior conspiracy.”

Police said that one of the men – a current employee of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s Main Intelligence Directorate – confessed to the murder of Berezovska and claimed that the second suspect, who is a former law enforcement officer, was an accomplice.

Later on Tuesday, the Ukrainian Prosecutor’s Office said the two detained individuals were indicted “in the intentional murder” of Berezovska.

“They are charged with intentional murder committed by a group of persons and with prior conspiracy,” the office added.

Berezovska arrived in Ukraine on July 1 by bus, and she communicated with her family and the two men, Ukrainian authorities said on Tuesday. Investigators learned that both men had repeatedly made bank transfers and cryptocurrency payments to Berezovska, which prompted police to treat them “as individuals potentially involved in the attempted murder in Monaco.”

Police said urgent search measures were carried out against the two men in connection with the Monaco attack, during which the active intelligence officer separately confessed to the murder of Berezovska. The police statement said the intelligence officer had not informed his superiors of his contacts with Berezovska or the bank transfers to her, and the suspect also said he had “acted on his own initiative.”

“Additionally, during a search of the former law enforcement officer’s residence, a basement room resembling a torture chamber was discovered,” the police statement said.

The prosecutors office also said that “law enforcement authorities are identifying the instigators and other figures involved in the attempted murder of the family in Monaco.”

CNN has reached out to Monaco police, the Monaco Justice Department and Interpol for comment.

The identity of the woman and child remain unknown, but the injured woman is not Yermolaiev’s wife. His wife told Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne on Tuesday she was not in the home at the time of the attack and was not hurt.

Although the motive remains unclear, Monaco’s prosecutor Stéphane Thibault previously characterized the bombing as an “attempted assassination,” making it the first bomb assassination attempt ever recorded on Monaco’s highly surveilled, secure streets.

Local authorities said that Berezovska disguised herself as a man as she carried out the attack. A photo emerged of her running away from the scene wearing a black jumper with her hair apparently tucked underneath a black bucket hat.

She later fled to neighboring France, then drove to Italy in a German-registered car that had been rented for the operation, prosecutors said. The sophistication of the bomb used indicates that more than one perpetrator was involved, prosecutors said at the time.

Top Democrats are calling for Graham Platner, Maine's Democratic candidate for the US Senate, to drop out of the race after a woman he previously dated accused him of sexual assault.

The woman detailed the alleged assault in a series of interviews with Politico, which were published on Monday.

Platner, a former Marine and oyster farmer, denied the allegation, calling it "categorically false", but said he was "taking the time to reflect on the best path forward" in the race, which is pivotal to Democrats' chances of gaining control of the Senate.

His campaign has been rocked by multiple scandals, including the discovery of a tattoo on his chest resembling a Nazi symbol.

Two lawmakers who endorsed Platner in March rescinded their support with Sen Gallego calling the allegations "troubling and deeply serious" and Heinrich describing it as "appalling". Rep Khanna, who had appeared at rallies with Platner and was considered a strong supporter, called the report serious and credible, adding "Graham Platner should drop out from the race. I am withdrawing my endorsement".

Meanwhile, the Maine Democratic Party also called on him to step aside.

"Over the past several weeks, multiple women have made serious, credible allegations against Graham Platner. Today's statements take those allegations even further," a statement from the state's political party reads. "Maine Democratic Party leadership is calling on Graham Platner to withdraw as the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate."

"Regardless of the inaccuracy of the reporting, but mindful of the political reality it will inflict, we are taking the time to reflect on the best path forward for the state that I love, the people that I love, the movement I belong to and the goal of defeating Susan Collins," Platner said in a video statement on social media shortly after the story was published by Politico.

Prominent Democrats in the Senate, along with Maine's Democratic party, have called on Platner to "immediately withdraw".

Senator Bernie Sanders, one of Platner's biggest backers who stood by him after earlier controversies, said he had spoken with Platner about the "best path forward for Maine".

"In light of these very serious allegations, I have recommended that he step aside," Sanders said.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand said in a statement: "The allegations reported today are incredibly disturbing – violence, abuse and sexual assault are absolutely unacceptable."

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee - which provides millions of dollars in support to the party's candidates - "will not invest in the Maine Senate race if Platner remains on the ballot", they added.

The list of Democrats calling on him to drop out grew on Tuesday, to include Senators Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker, Elissa Slotkin, while three supporters in the party withdrew their endorsements - congressman Ro Khanna and Senators Martin Heinrich and Ruben Gallego.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani joined the calls, saying it was "time for him to drop out of the race".

Platner's campaign has postponed several events that were scheduled for this week. The BBC has reached out to the campaign for comment.

Platner is set to take on the incumbent senator, Republican Susan Collins, who has beaten back political challenges for three decades, in November's congressional elections.

The race is one of several pivotal to Democrats eyeing a longshot bid to flip control of the Senate in what are commonly called the midterms.

Adding to the pressure for the party, Platner must withdraw from the race by 13 July in order for his name to be removed from the state's ballot and be replaced by another candidate's.

Jenny Racicot, 41, alleged in a series of interviews with Politico that after an on-and-off relationship with Platner for more than two years, he entered her home in Maine uninvited and sexually assaulted her. She said Platner allegedly appeared very intoxicated.

Racicot said she cut off contact with Platner after telling him the encounter was not consensual.She said she felt compelled to publicly speak of her experience because of the controversial reaction to a story published by the New York Times, in which several women alleged Platner had mistreated them.The report last month detailed the accounts of three former girlfriends who accused him of erratic and angry behaviour. It was published just before the primary race in the state.Racicot told Politico she was one of the women interviewed by the Times, but she was reluctant to go public with her specific claims because she did not want to be known as a rape victim.Platner denied the allegations and refused to drop out of the race.

A second woman, who said she dated Platner from 2013-15, came forward this week accusing him of nonconsensual sexual conduct.Lyndsey Fifield alleged in an interview with the Washington Post that Platner repeatedly removed condoms without her consent during sex.The nonconsensual removal of a condom during sex - known as "stealthing" - is illegal in some states, including Maine, but is not explicitly unlawful under a specific statute in Washington DC, where the alleged incidents happened.

Platner's campaign called Fifield's allegation "categorically false and politically motivated" in a statement to the Post. Fifield has worked in Repubican politics.The BBC has contacted his campaign about the accusation.He has faced a number of other controversies over his campaign.There were reports about a tattoo on his chest resembling a Nazi symbol that sparked backlash. Then, online comments he made dismissing rape were unearthed, and stories that he was unfaithful to his wife were leaked to US news outlets.Regarding the tattoo, Platner said he covered up what appeared to resemble the "Totenkopf" - German for "death's head" - used by Nazi forces during World War Two. He said he got the tattoo in Croatia with his fellow Marines in 2007 while drinking.Old Reddit posts showed Platner saying victims of sexual assault should "take some responsibility for themselves" and not get so intoxicated. After the posts were unearthed, Platner asked voters for forgiveness."Maine, I am asking you not to judge me for the worst thing I said on the internet, on my worst day 14 years ago, but who I am today and the kind of senator I promise to be," he said in an ad addressing the remarks.And when the allegations that Platner had exchanged sexually explicit texts on a messaging app with women outside his marriage, he acknowledged they were true."At the beginning of our marriage, I made mistakes, and Amy held me accountable for them, and we worked through them, and the work that we did made our marriage significantly stronger, and who we are today is an incredibly faithful and happy married couple," Platner said in an interview on MS Now.

Posted on 2026/07/08 09:25 AM