Allegations Against Maine Senate Candidate Graham Platner
The former girlfriend of Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner (D) alleges he engaged in “stealthing,” which entails removing condoms without consent during intercourse. Lindsay Fifield, who was in a relationship with Platner from 2013 to 2014, previously accused him of physical abuse and now claims that he removed the condom after she clearly stated she wasn’t using birth control.
Platner’s campaign has refuted these claims, labeling them as “categorically false and politically motivated.” They pointed out that Fifield had supported Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation process, a figure who faced allegations of sexual assault from Christine Blasey Ford.
Fifield recounted, “He had removed the condom,” stating it was done in a discreet manner without her knowledge. The report indicated that she first mentioned the allegations during an off-the-record interview in June.
Fifield decided to go public with her story partly to illustrate that others, like Jenny Racicot, had also experienced issues with Platner regarding sexual consent.
Stealthing is recognized as a form of sexual assault in several countries, including the UK, Canada, and parts of Australia. In the U.S., certain states like Maine, California, and Washington have laws addressing nonconsensual condom removal. Fifield claimed that the incident with Platner occurred in Washington, D.C.
She estimated that Platner removed the condom approximately six times and often dismissed her concerns with laughter when she confronted him. “I confronted him both during and after [sex],” she explained, noting that Platner was aware of the risks involved since she wasn’t using birth control.
“He seemed to adopt this cute, ‘How despicable me’ attitude about it,” she remarked in another interview. Yet, she had chosen to keep this private at first, fearing it might embarrass her personal life. A close friend of Fifield, Emily Zanotti, supposedly shared this information with her after her relationship with Platner ended.
Fifield’s accusations surfaced following an allegation from Jenny Racicot, who accused Platner of sexual assault in 2021, which led several Democrats to withdraw their support for Platner’s campaign against Republican Senator Susan Collins. Meanwhile, Senator Elizabeth Warren confronted Platner for his prior remarks about being “my kind of guy,” despite concerning associations that had surfaced.
