Former Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has deleted her social media post criticizing the woman who made sexual assault allegations against Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner.
Jenny Racicot, a 41-year-old resident of the state in which Platner is running, told Politico that she dated the candidate in 2021 and that he entered her home uninvited while heavily intoxicated on one occasion and repeatedly assaulted her.
Platner flatly denied the allegations in a video posted to X after canceling a number of planned campaign appearances. He called Racicot’s accusations “troubling, serious, and false.”
Greene commented on X in a post that she subsequently deleted, a screenshot of which was published by Mediate: “If you are raped or sexually assaulted, report it immediately.
“Don’t wait for years later until the man runs for office to go to news outlets to tell your story. And if you had consensual sex with him years ago, don’t turn it into rape for politics with conflicting stories.”
The Independent has reached out to Marjorie Taylor Greene for comment.
Maine’s Democratic Party released a statement Monday afternoon calling on Platner to “withdraw as the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate.”
“Over the past several weeks, multiple women have made serious, credible allegations about Graham Platner,” the party said in remarks signed by its chair, vice chair and executive director.
“Today’s statements take those allegations even further. This Senate race comes at a pivotal moment in the struggle against a government, supported by Senator Collins, that serves the interests of the wealthy and the powerful at the expense of ordinary Maine people. It is essential that we refocus the campaign on that struggle.”
Senate Democratic leadership followed suit, urging Platner to immediately withdraw.
Some of the candidate’s key backers, including Senators Martin Heinrich and Elizabeth Warren, also joined the chorus.
“Graham Platner needs to immediately withdraw as the Democratic nominee for Senate and allow Maine Democrats the opportunity to choose a new candidate who can defeat Susan Collins,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee chair Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said in a statement of their own.
“The DSCC will not invest in the Maine Senate race if Platner remains on the ballot.”
Politico’s story is the latest example of reporting on the candidate’s past. A previous report from The New York Times in early June detailed the experiences of a number of women who dated Platner and said they found his behavior troubling or concerning.
Further reporting during the primary detailed a history of off-color comments allegedly made by Platner, including sexist remarks, on his Reddit account.
He has consistently denied wrongdoing and said in a statement responding to the Times: “Throughout this campaign, I’ve been open about what was a very dark period of my life where I struggled with undiagnosed PTSD, too often self-medicated with alcohol, and was a far from perfect boyfriend.
“I take responsibility for all of that, and wish I had been better,” the statement said. “Any characterization beyond that is false, and I believe, politically motivated. I’m not proud of who I was then, but I am proud of the work I’ve done since, and the movement we are building in Maine.”
