Another Ex-Girlfriend Lodges Accusation Against Platner

Yet another allegation has widened the storm around Maine Senate hopeful Graham Platner. An ex-girlfriend, Lyndsey Fifield, tells the Washington Post that during their on-and-off relationship in Washington, DC, from 2013 to 2015, Platner repeatedly removed condoms during sex without her consent, despite her insistence he use them because she wasn't on birth control. She estimates it happened at least six times and says he treated it like a joke, calling himself "sneaky." The practice, known as "stealthing," is considered a form of sexual assault in several countries and is addressed by law in a handful of US states, though not in DC. Fifield previously accused Platner of physical abuse.

Platner's campaign calls Fifield's new claim "categorically false and politically motivated," noting her past support of Brett Kavanaugh during his Supreme Court confirmation fight. Fifield, a longtime conservative operative, is the second woman this week to accuse the 41-year-old Marine veteran and oyster farmer of nonconsensual sexual conduct. Former girlfriend Jenny Racicot alleged he sexually assaulted her in 2021. Platner has denied Racicot's allegation as well but has said he's weighing his political future as top backers, including Sen. Bernie Sanders, urge him to exit the race against Republican Sen. Susan Collins.