NEWYou can now listen to articles!
Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-Pa., said Friday on “News Central” that Graham Platner “has disqualified himself” from Maine’s U.S. Senate race after co-anchor Boris Sanchez asked whether she supported the Democratic candidate’s Senate campaign.
“I think it’s so distressing,” Dean said. “All of the stories that are coming out, and they’re more and more, it seems, by the hour. I’m not a voter in Maine, but he has disqualified himself. In my eyes. He is not qualified to be a representative, a senator. We’ll see what Maine does about it. And I know Gov. Mills remains on the ballot, but he has disqualified himself.”
Platner, an oyster farmer and combat veteran, is running for the Democratic nomination to challenge veteran Republican Sen. Susan Collins. Digital reported that Lyndsey Fifield, a former girlfriend, told The New York Times that Platner repeatedly grabbed her hard enough to leave marks, pulled her from a cab and, in one incident, twisted her arm behind her back and held her in a room when they dated more than a decade ago.
Platner acknowledged personal failings in a statement to the AP while denying the broader allegations.
Rep. Madeleine Dean says Graham Platner has “disqualified himself” from Maine’s Senate race during a CNN interview with Boris Sanchez. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
THE GROWING LIST OF CONTROVERSIES THREATENING DEMOCRAT GRAHAM PLATNER’S MAINE SENATE BID
“Any characterization beyond that is false,” Platner said, adding that he believed the allegations were “politically motivated.”
The scrutiny around Platner has extended beyond the latest allegations. He previously faced revelations about sexually explicit text messages he exchanged with married women, a skull tattoo recognized as a Nazi symbol that he said he did not understand until the campaign and past Reddit posts dismissive of military sexual assault and using homophobic slurs, for which he has since apologized.
Dean’s comment also came as Maine Gov. Janet Mills, who suspended active campaigning, remains on the ballot for Tuesday’s Democratic primary. WGME reported that Maine’s deputy secretary of state said Mills did not officially withdraw from the election and that votes for her will be counted.
Graham Platner faces growing scrutiny in Maine’s Democratic Senate primary as new allegations and past controversies continue to surface. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
FORMER PRIMARY RIVAL RESURFACES TO CHALLENGE SCANDAL-PLAGUED GRAHAM PLATNER IN MAINE SENATE RACE
Mills has said voters can still choose her because she only “suspended active campaigning” and is “still on the ballot.”
The comments came at the end of a wide-ranging interview with Dean, a House Foreign Affairs Committee member, who first criticized Trump administration diplomacy on Iran. She said U.S. policy should focus on ending hostilities and preventing Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
Dean said the administration should rely more heavily on diplomats as it seeks a deal with Iran.
“What I wish we would do is work with diplomats,” Dean said. “You’ve seen that the president has not relied upon diplomats.”
Maine Gov. Janet Mills remains on the Democratic primary ballot as Platner’s campaign faces renewed criticism from members of his own party. (Sophie Park/Getty Images; Scott Eisen/Getty Images)
ANTI-ICE LAW SET TO TAKE EFFECT IN MAINE AS GOVERNOR FACES INCREASED CRITICISM FOR ALLOWING IT AMID SENATE RUN
Dean also said the U.S. should not unfreeze Iranian assets without concessions.
“We mustn’t unfreeze those assets without actually getting some sort of justice and a deal,” Dean said.
Asked about an immigration enforcement bill moving through Congress, Dean said Democrats would oppose the administration’s proposed $1.8 billion “weaponization fund.”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE
“We will do everything in our power to try to block it,” Dean said.
She also criticized additional funding for ICE, saying the agency should not receive more money.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE APP
“ICE doesn’t need another dime,” Dean said. “In fact, we need to pull back money from ICE.”
Digital reached out to Platner for comment, but did not immediately hear back.
