Graham Platner accuser says New York Times journalists ‘twisted’ her story
Lyndsey Fifield-who says she dated Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner from 2013 to 2015-accused the *New York Times* of twisting her account to benefit his campaign after the paper published allegations from her and two other women.
Fifield claimed reporters Katie Glueck and Lisa Lerer turned her disclosure of emotional abuse into a “gift” for Platner by delaying and reframing her story. she also argued the article failed to note that she had confided to friends over the years that Platner was abusive before he ran for office, adding that those friends told the Times.
Platner, running to unseat Sen. Susan Collins, responded to the reporting by reiterating that he struggled with undiagnosed PTSD and alcohol misuse in the past and said he takes obligation for his behavior, while denying any characterization beyond that and calling the coverage politically motivated.
A woman who accused Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner of toxic behavior when he dated her years ago accused the outlet that reported her allegations of manipulating the narrative in his favor.
The New York Times published a story on Thursday containing allegations from Lyndsey Fifield and two other women who dated Plater, expressing concern that he was guilty of “unsettling” emotional abuse, consisting of volatile and toxic behavioral patterns. Three others who dated the Democratic Senate candidate praised him.
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Fifield, who reportedly dated Platner from 2013 to 2015, this week accused New York Times reporters Katie Glueck and Lisa Lerer of twisting her story into a “gift” to her ex’s campaign.
“This really was a setup all along,” she wrote in a lengthy post to X. “The journalists I trusted who convinced me to share a story I never wanted to tell methodically delayed and twisted this into a gift to the Platner campaign. Violating the trust of his victims. Shattering the trust I placed in them with the most vulnerable story of my life.”
Among Fifield’s complaints was an accusation that the journalists 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,” she wrote.
Platner is in one of the tightest campaigns in the country, as he seeks to unseat Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) in November and flip the Senate seat blue. He has repeatedly elaborated on the campaign trail about struggles with PTSD for years, following his combat tours in the Marine Corps, which he said induced serious mental health struggles and behavior he is “not proud of.” The candidate has also expressed concern that the Democratic establishment, which initially favored Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D-ME) to challenge Collins, deliberately leaked a series of unflattering parts of his past to derail his campaign.
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Following the latest controversial report on Thursday, Platner reiterated his past struggles with mental health, saying he takes responsibility for being “far from a perfect boyfriend” over a decade ago.
“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,” Platner said in a statement. “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.”
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