A woman who accused Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner of assault made her first on-camera interview Tuesday, telling CNN about Platner’s alleged abuse.
Lyndsey Fifield, 40, appeared on CNN’s The Lead, where she discussed her allegation in the wake of a separate claim of rape by Jenny Racicot.
Fifield fought back tears as Tapper recounted Racicot’s story, becoming visibly emotional and taking a moment to compose herself as Tapper described Platner’s behavior the morning after Racicot alleges he assaulted her.
Platner has denied all allegations of “non-consensual behavior,” but said in a statement Monday that his team was “taking the time to reflect on the best path forward.”
In her interview, Fifield, who dated Platner from 2013 to 2015, was asked if there were similarities between her alleged experience with Platner and in what Racicot claimed. Racicot, 41, told Politico that in 2021, Platner showed up to her house uninvited and raped her.
“The eyes,” Fifield told Tapper.
“The dead eyes?” he asked, as she nodded in agreement.
“Where he couldn’t hear your protests?” Tapper asked.
“I just know exactly what that looks like,” Fifield said. “I know exactly what it looks like. And that is something that I feel like people need to understand is it was almost like looking at, like, a pit bull where they just… it’s nothing, but not just nothing, but like a capacity for violence. And you see it and, you know, it’s there and it’s terrifying."
Fifield has also claimed that Platner would engage in unprotected sex against her consent.
“He would pull condoms off,” she told the Washington Post. “He would do it in a sneaky way. He wouldn’t tell me.”
Platner’s campaign said in response that the claim from Fifield, who worked in GOP politics and for conservative groups, was “categorically false and politically motivated.”
The Daily Beast has also reached out for comment.
Following Racicot’s claims that were published Monday, several prominent Democrats who had pledged their support for Platner have called on him to exit the race. Among them are Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
The Maine Democratic Party also called upon Platner, 41, to withdraw.
Platner has a deadline of next Monday to do so. After that, the process for finding a replacement candidate would be much more difficult.
