MSNBC host Mika Brzezinski on Tuesday pressed Politico reporter Adam Wren for "concrete evidence" supporting a report detailing rape allegations against Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner. The report, published by Politico, cited an accusation from Platner's ex-girlfriend, Jenny Racicot, who alleges Platner broke into her home and raped her nearly five years ago.
Platner has denied the allegations but stated he is "taking time" to reflect on his candidacy. The report has prompted calls from prominent Democrats for Platner to withdraw from the race. Platner faces a July 13 deadline to exit the race, which would allow Democrats to nominate a replacement to challenge Republican Sen. Susan Collins.
Brzezinski questioned the threshold for publishing the story, noting the absence of a police report or legal filing related to the alleged incident. "My question to you, given the very high standards Politico has before they write something like this and publish it – what aspects of this story brought it to the level of publishable?" Brzezinski asked.
Wren explained that he and colleague Jessica Piper reviewed email exchanges between Racicot and her therapist, with whom she confided about the incident. They also spoke with individuals Racicot confided in shortly after the alleged rape and conducted multiple interviews with Racicot. Wren stated that Racicot described the insular nature of her community in Maine, where she lived with Platner, as a factor in her decision not to file a police report. He added that they found a number of corroborating pieces of evidence to support her account.
When Brzezinski pressed for specifics on the corroborating evidence, Wren cited a message from Racicot to Platner via Instagram the day after the alleged incident, stating she did not want further contact. Wren confirmed Racicot attempted to recover direct messages exchanged with Platner but was unable to provide them for review. He also mentioned Racicot had explained to others, prior to Platner's political candidacy, that he was "consensually careless," according to her descriptions.
Willie Geist, co-host of MSNBC, questioned the timing of the report's publication, noting it coincided with the deadline for Platner to withdraw from the race. Wren stated that Racicot's intention was for Maine voters to "have the full story."
Brzezinski reiterated her request for "actual – is there evidence between her and him, evidence of a crime? Because he’s being accused of rape. What put this over the edge? Because he says he didn’t and he has people on his side who say he didn’t. She says I did and I’m trying – what’s the throughline?" Wren reaffirmed that Politico stands by its reporting, based on multiple interviews with Racicot and individuals she confided in. Since the report's publication, Platner has withdrawn from campaign events, and major Democratic figures, including Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, have rescinded their endorsements and urged him to leave the race.