Lyndsey Fifield, a former girlfriend of Graham Platner, the now-withdrawn Democratic candidate for Maine’s U.S. Senate seat, has accused The New York Times of "gaslighting" and "betrayal" in its reporting on her allegations of sexual assault and misconduct against him. Fifield stated that the newspaper "tainted" her story and manipulated her into going public with her accusations.
Platner withdrew from the Senate race Wednesday night following a bombshell report by Politico that detailed accusations of sexual assault by Jenny Racicot, another former girlfriend. Racicot alleged that in 2021, Platner drunkenly entered her home uninvited and had sex with her despite her repeated objections. Platner has vehemently denied these claims, stating they constitute rape.
Fifield, who dated Platner between 2013 and 2015, told Fox News Digital that New York Times reporters Katie Glueck and Lisa Lerer contacted her in April, seeking to interview individuals who had relationships with Platner. According to Fifield, the reporters presented themselves as needing her help to protect other women who were afraid to come forward with their stories.
"They said… very insistently, ‘Wait, wait, there are other women who are very afraid to come forward. They do not want to tell their stories because of how vulnerable they are, and you can help them, and we can protect you,’" Fifield said. "I didn’t want to do this. They made me feel guilty that if I didn’t go on the record, then Jenny and the other unnamed woman, that their stories wouldn’t get told."
Fifield initially shared her allegations off the record with The Times, detailing instances where Platner allegedly engaged in stealthing, a practice where a condom is removed during sex without consent. She expressed reluctance to share these details publicly due to their sensitive nature and her current life as a wife and mother.
Inspired by Racicot's decision to speak on the record, Fifield eventually shared her account with The Washington Post on Tuesday. She expressed dismay that The Times' published report prominently featured her, with a significant focus on her work history and conservative political affiliations, despite the reporters’ initial assurances.
"I'm out here on my own, I'm the only one photographed, and there's 11 paragraphs of my work history. Like, what is this?" Fifield questioned, reacting to the published article. The Times' story mentioned Racicot's allegations approximately 70 paragraphs deep, stating she "declined to elaborate, but said she found his behavior 'reckless' and 'unsettling.'"
Fifield also recounted the Times reporters urging her to avoid public reaction shortly after the story's publication. "They were like, ‘Oh, Lyndsey, just stay off social media. Don't listen to people who are being critical of you. Don't listen to them. Put your phone away. Go to the lake... Go on vacation, enjoy your babies... You did a brave thing. This was so huge. You're so brave for doing this and we really appreciate it. We're here if you need anything.' And it was just, like, gaslighting," she recalled.
The New York Times story stated it "could not independently corroborate Ms. Fifield’s account of the altercations." Fifield contested this, asserting that the reporters were aware of corroborating information and had not contacted all relevant sources. She stated she had confided in a friend about Platner's alleged mistreatment, but this friend was not contacted by the newspaper.
"They only called the sources that didn’t know anything about the abuse," Fifield said. "There was a conversation where they were saying, ‘We're going to include this line about ‘could not corroborate,’ and that was when I started to get really panicked. And I was like, ‘Wait a minute, what do you mean? I thought that you called.’"
Conservative critics have accused The Times of employing "catch and kill" tactics to suppress allegations against Platner, a notion Fifield agreed with, stating, "They tainted our story."
A spokesperson for The New York Times defended the reporting, stating, "The Times's June 4 reporting on Graham Platner and his patterns of behavior was a powerful and original piece of journalism that presented deeply personal accounts and many new facts for the first time." The spokesperson added that the reporting "alerted the public to important new information about a candidate for the Senate."