Jesse Watters: New York Times report reveals disturbing allegations against Graham Platner
Fox News host Jesse Watters reports on a New York Times article detailing multiple new abuse allegations against Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner on 'Jesse Watters Primetime.'
Lyndsey Fifield, an ex-girlfriend of Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner, hit The New York Times for allegedly softening her allegations of abuse, saying coverage was a "gift" to the Democrat's campaign.
After speaking to The New York Times about Platner's history of being a "narcissistic abuser," Fifield claims the outlet failed to include corroboration from other women that she offered and left out screenshots and other evidence she provided.
"Why does it say ‘nobody could corroborate’ when I offered them sources that COULD corroborate?" she wrote on X.
"Where were the screenshots they’d said they would use? Or the mention that I’d supported local democrats and that most of my family (and husband) are liberal? The editors said it was too much, they explained. The Times also failed to include any mention that I DID confide in multiple friends through the years that Graham had been abusive — long before he was running for office. Those friends confirm they told the Times so."
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Senate candidate Graham Platner with his wife, Amy Gertner. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
In a story the Times posted Thursday night, the outlet identified Fifield as "a Virginia conservative who has worked for right-leaning groups and Republican campaigns."
Fifield, however, claims the outlet neglected to include the fact that she has supported Democrats and that her family is liberal. She also says that, in an effort to get her to go on the record, the outlet put her in contact with other women who Platner allegedly abused and who the Times said would be in the story. But when the story was published, Fifield wrote, these women were nowhere to be found.
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Graham Platner, the Democrats' presumptive Senate nominee in Maine, holds an energy event in Ellsworth, Maine, on Monday, May 11, 2026. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)
"After the story went up I began to ask them… wait, where are the stories from the other women? Where are their accusations of sexual assault? Why am I the focus? Why are there 11 paragraphs dedicated to detailing my work history (more than has been published about Graham’s by far)?" she wrote on X.
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Fifield also claimed that, while Planter never hit or punched her, he was physical at times, grabbing her wrist and forcefully yanking her out of a cab during an argument once.
Platner has denied any physical abuse, while his campaign dismissed Fifield as a "GOP operative."
Sen. Bernie Sanders and Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner stand together during a "Fighting Oligarchy" tour stop at the Collins Center for the Arts on the University of Maine campus in Orono, Maine, on May 24, 2026. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
"Throughout this campaign, I’ve been open about what was a very dark period of my life where I struggled with undiagnosed PTSD, too often self medicated with alcohol, and was a far from perfect boyfriend. I take responsibility for all of that, and wish I had been better. 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," he said in a statement.
"Let’s be very clear: This is a lifelong GOP operative who’s dedicated her career to electing Republicans," his campaign also wrote in a separate statement.
A spokesperson for The New York Times also offered a statement.
"We published accounts provided by several women who were in romantic relationships with Graham Platner. Our story accurately presents each of these accounts as told to our reporters and according to our standards. We stand by our reporting of the accounts from Ms. Fifield and the other women, who provided a revealing look at the behavior of a major candidate for the U.S. Senate," the spokesperson said told Fox News Digital.
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Fox News' Tyler Olson and Jessica Sonkin contributed to this report.
