Bernie Sanders quiet on Graham Platner sexual assault allegations
Senator Bernie Sanders has remained silent regarding sexual assault allegations against maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner, who he previously supported. The allegations, involving an incident from five years ago were Platner was accused of sexually assaulting a former partner while intoxicated, have caused his support on Capitol Hill and among his backers to decline. Sanders’s response to these claims has not been publicly clear, despite media outreach.
Progressive group Our Revolution, affiliated with Sanders, called for Platner to suspend his campaign, citing the credibility of the allegations and emphasizing that sexual violence is a red line.Several major supporters, including Rep. Ro khanna, Senators Ruben Galleo and Elizabeth Warren, and the Maine Democratic Party, have urged Platner to withdraw from the race. although he has not formally dropped out, Platner posted a video indicating he is “reflecting” on his future in the campaign.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) has so far remained silent on Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner after a new set of sexual assault allegations were revealed Monday.
Sanders’s silence comes as Platner’s support on Capitol Hill and beyond has crumbled since new allegations from a woman who previously dated Platner said he sexually assaulted her while severely intoxicated five years ago. Sanders has been one of Platner’s most staunch advocates since launching his campaign.
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The Washington Examiner reached out to Sanders for comment on the allegations, which were first reported by Politico.
Our Revolution, a progressive group affiliated with Sanders, called on Platner to suspend his campaign.
“Everyone deserves a fair and open process, and Graham Platner is entitled to due process like anyone else,” the organization wrote. “But the allegations against him are credible, and at this point are too serious to treat as a distraction from the campaign or the issues. Sexual violence is a red line.”
“We are withdrawing our endorsement and calling on him to withdraw from the race,” Our Revolution wrote.
The organization emphasized that this is not an “opening” for the Democratic establishment, calling for the next candidate to have “actually lived the fight Graham Platner ran on.”
The Maine Democrat has lost the endorsements of some of his biggest supporters, such as Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Sens. Ruben Gallego (D-CA) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), all calling for him to drop out of the race. The Maine Democratic Party echoed these sentiments.
“Over the past several weeks, multiple women have made serious, credible allegations against Graham Platner. Today’s statements take those allegations even further,” Maine Democratic Party leadership wrote in a statement. “Maine Democratic Party leadership is calling on Graham Platner to withdraw as the Democratic nominee for U.S. senate.”
RO KHANNA AND RUBEN GALLEGO PULL PLATNER ENDORSEMENTS AFTER SEXUAL ASSAULT ALLEGATIONS
Platner hasn’t withdrawn, but he posted a video 11 minutes after the Politico story was released, saying he was taking time to “reflect” on his campaign’s “best path forward.”
“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 the video.
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