Cenk Uygur says media is ‘politically assassinating’ Graham Platner
Democrats flee Graham Platner’s campaign after new allegations
Fox News correspondent Alexis McAdams details the deepening crisis for Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Plattner, who faces calls from Bernie Sanders to stand down after an ex-girlfriend accused Plattner of rape in 2021; This adds to existing controversies such as Nazi tattooing and previous allegations of physical abuse.
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A far-left podcaster slammed the mainstream media in an X post on Tuesday, accusing outlets of “political assassination” of embattled Democratic U.S. Senate candidate in Maine Graham Platner.
“Young Turks” CEO and founder Cenk Uygur, an influential political commentator, published the accusation a day later. Politico published the allegations It was produced by Jenny Racicot, who was dating Platner. Racicot told Politico that in 2021, Platner drunkenly entered her home and forced her to have sex with him against her will.
Platner denied the allegations in a video released by his campaign on Monday, calling them “disturbing, serious and false.”
“Any accusation of non-consensual conduct is categorically false,” Platner said. He added that in light of what he described as the “inaccuracy of the report,” his campaign was “taking time to consider the best path forward.”
HOW GRAHAM PLATNER’S CAMPAIGN DISSOLVED: FROM REDDIT POSTS TO RAPE ALLEGATIONS
U.S. Senate Democratic candidate Graham Platner has faced calls to drop out of the race amid allegations about his past behavior, including a rape accusation. (Robert F. Bukaty/AP Photo)
The allegations marked the latest crisis for Platner’s campaign, which has faced numerous controversies, including allegations from former partners and scrutiny over other aspects of his past.
Despite Platner’s denial, the latest allegations have sparked major political backlash, with Democrats beginning to pull back on their support for the Maine oysterman and some calling for him to drop out of the race.
Platner rose to prominence by positioning himself as an anti-establishment progressive, campaigning against corporate PACs and U.S. support for Israel. Uygur, who has long used his platform to support left-wing rebel candidates, continued to defend Platner even as controversy surrounding his campaign grew.
Uygur warned the Democratic Party against replacing Platner with pro-Israel and pro-corporate PAC candidates.
“If he leaves and the Democratic Party tries to give us two candidates who are both pro-Israel and pro-corporate agreements, [SIC]They will face a rebellion they have never seen before. Days [bulls—] “Wrong choices are over” Uyghur wrote.
Controversial podcaster says he wants a candidate “even more contrary to institutional agreements” [SIC]”More against Israel, more against the establishment, more against corruption, more against the status quo.”
Graham Platner is facing allegations that he forced a woman to have sex with him in 2021. (CJ Gunther/Getty Images)
NEW YORK TIMES UNDER EXAMINATION OVER GRAHAM PLATNER NEWS
In a later post, Uygur warned that those who supported Platner would also face “character assassinations”.
“From now on, the character assassins will continue to smear anyone who supports Platner. They will try to create complicity to eliminate more opponents of the establishment. This is how these thugs operate, hunting down outsiders one by one. Meanwhile, no one is investigating the insiders,” he wrote.
He also predicted that the media’s “next target” would likely be an anti-Israel foreigner.
Uygur has repeatedly argued that Democrats and the media targeted Platner because of the candidate’s anti-Israel stance. He has accused Democrats of targeting Platner since April for his views on the war in Gaza and U.S. support for Israel.
Last month, X said He said those who criticized Platner were “working for Israel” and that Democrats who attacked the Maine candidate were “ordered to do so by his handlers.”
The message came a day later New York Times Allegations by Racicot and other women who previously dated Platner were published. Although the Times also interviewed women who spoke positively about Platner, the allegations of Racicot and others became the focus of the scandal.
U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner of Maine faces calls to drop out of the race following a rape allegation. (Sophie Park/Getty Images)
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Lyndsey Fifield, one of the women interviewed by the Times, sheds light on a controversy that plagued Platner’s campaign in its early days. Platner had a tattoo of a Nazi symbol known as “Totenkopf” on his chest, but claimed he did not know its origin until it became a campaign issue. However, Fifield told the Times Platner referred to it as “My Totenkopf” and taught him the word for the symbol.
While the allegations reported by the Times last month did not appear to change support among Platner’s supporters, the accusations that emerged Monday caused many prominent Democrats to distance themselves from Platner. These include Representatives Ro Khanna, California; Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich.; and You. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz.
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Although he did not publicly retract his endorsement, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said in a post on X that he had spoken to Platner and “recommended he step aside.”
Platner did not withdraw from the race, but said in a video released Monday that his campaign was “taking time to consider the best path forward.”
