MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell stated he has “always known” he could not believe Maine Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Graham Plotner, detailing reasons for his persistent skepticism about the oysterman. Plotner is currently facing an allegation of sexual assault from 2021.

Plotner, who gained attention last year for advocating universal healthcare and economic populism, has faced multiple controversies throughout his campaign. A growing number of Democrats are now urging him to withdraw from the race.

O’Donnell, host of "The Last Word," shared that when an unknown candidate with no prior vetting gains significant media attention, he waits for the subsequent media scrutiny. He indicated that the vetting process for Plotner has been consistently "disturbing."

Previously, Plotner's campaign has been marked by scandals including a tattoo with historical Nazi associations, explicit messages allegedly sent to women outside his marriage, and online comments about rape. The combat veteran has previously attributed the comments to depression and denied awareness of the tattoo's symbolism or sending explicit texts. On Tuesday, he denied the assault allegation, calling it "categorically false."

"I didn’t think any of his answers were credible," O’Donnell said. While he clarified he could not definitively say who was telling the truth in accounts from those who knew Plotner, he reiterated, "I know, and I’ve always known, that I cannot believe him."

O'Donnell suggested Plotner's carefully crafted image as a humble oyster farmer struggling with working-class issues was not credible. "He didn’t. He’s never known those struggles," O'Donnell stated. "His most obvious credibility problem to me from the start was saying, ‘I'm a working-class guy that lives a working-class life.’ He also said, ‘I've never been close to money and power.’ And that was a lie."

According to O'Donnell, Plotner attended private school and was raised by a lawyer. He also noted that Plotner's mother's restaurant is a major buyer of his oysters, and that tax and property records indicate Plotner's father provided him with a $200,000 mortgage loan for a $205,000 home. "So his father bought him a house and his mother buys his oysters," O'Donnell commented. "I found it very, very difficult to take Graham Plotner’s claims about himself seriously after reading those facts about him—publicly available facts. But the enthusiasm kept building."

The scrutiny intensified Monday when Politico reported that Jenny Racicot, a Maine resident, accused Plotner of entering her home uninvited in 2021 and sexually assaulting her. O’Donnell concluded, "And so it’s over tonight. And Graham Plotner is clinging to the wreckage of his campaign, mercilessly and foolishly dragging out the day and the hour on which he will announce that he cannot find a path forward for his candidacy."