Senators Privately Ask Platner About Any New Allegations

[demmiblue]

“In a private meeting Tuesday with some Senate Democrats, Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner attempted to quell growing concerns from some in the party that a string of negative revelations about his life had jeopardized his candidacy,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“Sen. Bernie Sanders asked Platner if any additional allegations would emerge against the embattled Democratic candidate… Platner said there weren’t any.”

“Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who also attended the meeting, followed up and said there is a big difference between marital issues and allegations of sexual assault… Platner agreed and denied any credible allegations of assault were forthcoming.”

Explained Platner: “It’s not a secret I’ve had a messy, complicated life. The worst of the rumors we’ve all heard are not true.”

https://politicalwire.com/2026/06/03/senators-privately-ask-platner-about-any-new-allegations/

[niyad]

1. I would think that the very fact that this meeing was even deemed

necessary indicates that at least some senators are very worried.

I mean, nobody else has ever led a messy, complicated life, correct?

[yardwork]

2. Sanders and Warren have been his big boosters, too.

This seems serious.

[niyad]

3. It does, indeed.

[AZProgressive]

4. I think Warren made a good point that marital issues are different than sexual assault

Hopefully Platner is telling the truth that there is nothing like that going to come out.

[EdmondDantes_]

6. Vastly different.

Not even in the same ballpark morally much less legally.

[AZProgressive]

7. I agree

Which is why I agree with Warren and don't think issues Platner had in his marriage is disqualifying.

[niyad]

13. Apparently the rape apologist ones weren't, either.

[EdmondDantes_]

29. Well except for there's apparently other more serious relationship issues

Platner maybe shouldn't have decided to run if he's got an entire graveyard in his closet.

[AZProgressive]

31. His closet isn't that bad

A few reddit posts, a politician that cheated, and what else?

There are actually a lot of people like Platner that are around his age and almost no one could run if they had a few embarrassing online posts.

Also Mainers don't care.

[EdmondDantes_]

32. Um a nazi tattoo, rape apologist comments, using retarded as a slur, being abusive towards multiple girlfriends

One of whom confirms that Platner referred to the tattoo as his totenkopf as earlier unrelated reporting had said.

And being a big fan of an antisemetic YouTube host Nate Cornacchia.

[AZProgressive]

33. I was upset about the tattoo

but after Janet Mills dropped out I decided to take his explanation at face value.

I referenced the reddit posts and I have actually seen similar or worse at DU especially when a Democrat is being accused.

[EdmondDantes_]

36. Except one of his exes said online last year he referred to it as a totenkomf, makes his explanation less credible

And I think anyone saying rape victims bear responsibility, DUer or not, should be called out including when a Democrat is accused. I routinely correct people who still insist that Franken was only accused by one woman of an inappropriate photo. Not minimizing or blaming victims should be the bare minimum standard.

And when there's reporting he was yanking women around and blocking them in a room.

Just because his sexting isn't in the realm of sexual assault, doesn't mean the rest of his issues which keep expanding, aren't incredibly problematic if not disqualifying.

[Quiet Em]

5. "denied any credible allegations"

I'm a bit concerned about the use of "credible" here.

Did Warren ask if there would be any credible accusations or did Platner answer that there would be no credible accusations?

Or is the writer adding the word credible in there?

[mr715]

8. It is an unusual qualifier.

[AZProgressive]

9. It actually isn't unusual when you follow news stories about accusations made against famous people

The media often adds the word credible when discussing accusations against politicians. Like they use the word credible when it comes to sexual assault allegations made against Trump.

What they can't rule out is some random person making stuff up but even that might be unlikely to happen as men are actually more likely to be victims of sexual assault than have a false accusation made against them.

[mr715]

10. It seemed hedgy to me in this context.

I don't know what the "incredible" accusations are.

[Celerity]

15. Credible versus non-credible or dubious or unreliable, etc.

[Jack Valentino]

11. We've elected a President who is twice divorced and cheated on ALL THREE of his wives---

as well as being a convicted felon, someone who lost a civil suit for sexual assault,
and rumored to be a pedophile....

so I REALLY could not give a SHIT that Platner *may have* sent sexual texts to adult women
while he was married.... this is penny-ante garbage even if it is true!

I'm DONE with the double-standard which Republicans, the media, and some Democrats
try to enforce that DEMOCRATS have to be PERFECT,
while all the ACTUAL SEX CRIMES committed by Republicans are IGNORED!

Fuck this noise. It's a matter for the voters of Maine to consider,
NOT for US Senators or anyone else who doesn't have a vote in Maine!

And frankly, I don't think most of the voters will give a tinker's damn about it,
with all of the other much more important issues facing us!


Also looks a little too "summer of 2024" to me!
Some Democratic US Senators meddled in THAT Presidential Election,
and where did it get us--- or some of them ???




(reposted as an OP)

[W_HAMILTON]

16. But if not for a consequential contingent of the left giving a tinker's a damn...

...about these sorts of issues (among much more trivial ones as well), we wouldn't have so many more important issues facing us to begin with...

This is the primary -- this is when these sorts of issues need to be addressed. But once the primary is over, EVERYONE on the left needs to coalesce around ALL our Democratic candidates running against Republicans.

[mr715]

24. Left, but also the center.

[MorbidButterflyTat]

12. "Sen. Elizabeth Warren,

who also attended the meeting, followed up and said there is a big difference between marital issues and allegations of sexual assault..."

That's good to know!

I wonder how long it will take to contact the six known sexters for their sides of the story. Hm.

[niyad]

14. I guess there is a difference between those and rape apologist posts, too.

[Cha]

18. Right? Why would Sen Warren even

say that? I've heard no allegations of "sexual assault."

[betsuni]

17. No way something else doesn't happen, putting cash money on the table right now. It's a bet.

[Blasphemer]

21. Agree. There is more. The GOP is probably sitting on it. NT

[niyad]

22. Without a doubt.

[Nixie]

28. You are right.

You would win your bet.

[obamanut2012]

30. It will come out after June 9

Soem trickled out today.

[Boo1]

35. Bingo

There is zero chance we've heard te last, or worst, of what's coming from him.

[DFW]

19. Seems like an exercise in futility to me.

If there is anything disqualifying that he hasn’t mentioned, if he hasn’t mentioned it to them by now, he wasn’t going to volunteer it to anyone. It was a pointless question to ask, because he wasn’t going to answer “yes” whether that was true or not.

It’s the fact that they felt obligated to pose that question publicly that is the news, not his answer. If he was going to answer “yes,” his withdrawal from the race would already be fading from the headlines, something that seems more and more worth reading between right about now.

Holding a meeting like that doesn’t settle the question. It raises it louder than before. Platner should be happy that there are only five days left until the primary. I’m not sure that the rest of Maine should feel so reassured, but that’s for the voters there to decide.

[Blasphemer]

20. Indeed. He's already established who he is. Asking, "who are you?" seems futile. nt

[DFW]

23. Especially when it's his earliest and most prominent supporters doing the asking.

If they are getting nervous now, what does that say about their judgment in racing to support him in the beginning? What are the other candidates they supported supposed to think?

In their shoes, at this late stage, I would have just slept in the bed I made, and let the chips fall where they may. Of course, if there is more to this than has been made public, then they may have had more of a solid reason for the move than has yet been made public. They will really look foolish if there is something awful that they know about, and the Republicans so far do not. Waiting for some ugly revelation that puts Collins back on top should not be an option. For the sake of saving the seat, I hope not, but we peons are not likely to find out before the primary, one way or the other.

[QueerDuck]

25. I have a bad feeling about this. Actually, I've had a bad feeling for quite a while now.

If people end up saying "told you so," I'm sure it will be of very little comfort to them when the cost of being right is that we fail to gain control of the Senate. Fingers crossed that this doesn't get worse.

[ABC123Easy]

26. Roger Stone

Is anyone willing to wager that a sexual assault scandal comes out sometime around October? Roger Stone-esque

[Nixie]

27. Uh oh

More shoes

[demmiblue]

34. One the one hand...

on the one hand he’s a lying misogynist drunk, on the other hand he has no relevant experience and seems to totally lack any discipline

on the one hand he’s a lying misogynist drunk, on the other hand he has no relevant experience and seems to totally lack any discipline

— Vituperative Erb (@vituperativeerb.bsky.social) 2026-06-04T20:39:06.159Z