SouthernWorldwide.com – A political aide for Graham Platner’s now-disbanded Senate campaign is facing intense scrutiny over his public statements regarding the timeline of the campaign’s response to a rape allegation.
The aide, Morris Katz, asserted that the campaign advised Platner to step down “as soon as” they became aware of the accusation. However, this statement clashes with the campaign’s initial public denial of the rape claim before Platner ultimately suspended his candidacy two days later.
“As soon as the team became aware of the rape allegations against Graham Platner, we advised he suspend his candidacy, and in the following days worked to wind down the campaign,” Katz stated on the social media platform X on Wednesday.
The allegation, first brought to light by Politico on Monday, was made by Maine resident Jenny Racicot. She claims that Platner sexually assaulted her in 2021. Platner has vehemently denied these accusations, characterizing them as false and politically motivated.
Katz, who is identified as one of Platner’s senior political advisers, found himself under fire for his post on Thursday. His statement even received a community note on X, a feature designed to provide context and fact-checking for public posts, specifically highlighting the questionable timeline.
“When asked by CNN about Jenny Racicot’s rape allegation on July 6, Platner’s campaign denied it was true rather than immediately advising suspension, which occurred two days later,” the community note detailed, directly challenging Katz’s account.
Prominent journalist Jake Tapper also commented on Katz’s message via X. “As soon as we asked the campaign about what Jenny Racicot told us on the record and on camera Monday, the campaign said that her assertion he had raped her was false,” Tapper posted, corroborating the timeline of the campaign’s initial denial.
Platner himself issued a response to the Politico article, which was published at 3:18 p.m. on Monday. Just eleven minutes later, at 3:29 p.m., he shared a video on X. In this video, Platner indicated that his campaign was “taking time to reflect on the best path forward.”
Furthermore, Platner’s campaign provided a statement to Politico within the article itself. The campaign strongly stated that Platner “vigorously denies” the “very serious” allegations. They also suggested that critics were actively working to remove him from the race.
“They are also coached and coordinated by out of state establishment operatives,” the campaign told Politico on Monday. “For a year, opponents of this campaign have thrown everything they can at Graham –– calling him a Nazi, a war criminal, and a communist. None of it has been true and this is no different. It is not a coincidence that this story comes a week before the ballot deadline, just as the previous false allegations came a week before the primary. Graham began this campaign to fight for a Maine where everyone is treated with dignity and where Mainers are put first, and no amount of desperate smears will stop this movement from seeing that vision through.”
As pressure mounted for Platner to withdraw from the race, his campaign announced on Wednesday that he would address the situation later that day. However, no specific details were provided regarding the content of his address before he released an 11-minute recorded video on X.
In the video, Platner reiterated that the allegations were “all false.” He placed the blame on the political establishment, accusing them of orchestrating a campaign to force him out of the running.
“Much like the news that was created the week before the primary. There is a reason that this is happening now. I only have until July 13th until I am officially the nominee. This was the last week to try to get me off of the ballot. And that’s why this is occurring,” Platner stated in the video, emphasizing the timing of the allegations in relation to election deadlines.
It was within this video that Platner officially announced the suspension of his campaign.
“For the movement to continue, it can’t be me. For that reason, we are suspending campaign operations,” Platner declared in the social media post.
Platner formally concluded his Senate campaign on Friday afternoon.
Critics on social media quickly pointed to the apparent discrepancy in the timeline. They questioned when the campaign was genuinely informed of the allegation and why Platner waited two days to suspend his campaign after the initial denial.
“Important to note that Morris and his team began calling former girlfriends of Platner LAST YEAR because they knew there were issues,” commented Republican commentator Matt Whitlock on X, suggesting prior knowledge of problems within the campaign.
“The Democrat establishment was fully ready to make a rapist a United States Senator. They only took him out because he was going to lose,” stated the official X account for the Republican party, implying a political calculation rather than a moral one for Platner’s withdrawal.
“11 minutes and zero accountability,” wrote Emily’s List, a prominent Democratic, pro-choice women’s political action committee, expressing dissatisfaction with Platner’s video explanation.
Maine Democrats were facing a critical July 13 deadline to officially withdraw Platner from the race. This withdrawal would have enabled the party to select a replacement nominee by July 27, who would then challenge incumbent Republican Senator Susan Collins.
