ABC News99%
US Senate candidate Graham Platner under fire after new allegations 86%
6/5/2026, 5:00:40 PM
BS Summary: This video contains 30 faulty reasoning types, including Appeal to Emotion, Framing Effect, and Availability Heuristic, with Negativity Bias as the most egregious example at 64.2% saturation with 334 hits. Analysis detected 2,202 faulty-reasoning hits from 520 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 78.1% and a BS Rank of 86% (3,136 of 21,887 videos). This video is worse (more manipulative) than 85.70% of the video peer group.
Turning now to the closely-watched Senate race that could decide control of the Senate.
Growing questions about Maine Democratic candidate Graham Plathner after reports of several women coming forward with disturbing allegations. Plathner now responding.
ABC's Selina Wang reporting from Maine tonight.
>> Tonight, the Democratic candidate in one of the year's most closely-watched Senate races battling a firestorm of controversy. Graham Plathner, an oyster farmer and former Marine, is running to unseat Maine Republican Susan Collins.
But Plathner's past now coming back to haunt him.
First a series of sexist Reddit posts now deleted, then reports he exchanged sexual text messages with at least six women shortly after he was married in 2023.
Plathner's wife Amy standing by him.
>> I want my marriage and I want to be [clears throat] married to Graham.
>> Overnight, The New York Times reporting several of Plathner's ex-girlfriends describe quote unsettling behavior.
One cleaning Plathner regularly grabbed her by the shoulders, sometimes hard enough to leave marks, and on one occasion yanked her out of a cab by her wrist.
She says during one argument Plathner twisted her arm behind her back, shoved her into a bedroom, and held the door closed from the other side so she couldn't get out.
>> The allegations in the latest story are troubling and I believe that Graham Plathner has a lot of questions to answer.
>> Plathner fiercely denies any violence but admits to mistakes in his past speaking with ABC affiliate WMTW.
>> I'm very happy to talk about incredibly uncomfortable things in my life.
But when things come along that are just made up or lies, I'm very much going to push back against those.
>> He was already facing questions about why he got a tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol on his chest while he was in the Marines some 18 years ago. Plathner insists he only recently became aware of the Nazi connection.
>> I got it covered up within days cuz I didn't want that on my body.
>> It all puts national Democrats in quite a bind. Winning Maine is crucial in their effort to retake the Senate.
Senator Bernie Sanders standing by Platner.
>> Look, I'm sure he has a lot of saying.
And by the way, let's not forget he has acknowledged this guy served four tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. He has acknowledged that he came back with PTSD.
>> But Senator Alyssa Slotkin exasperated.
>> I look forward to the day where I am not answering every single week a question about bad behavior by another dude. I I just I'm looking forward to that day.
>> And with Adam Platner is not the Democratic nominee yet. The primary is on Tuesday and Maine's Governor Janet Mills is still on the ballot.
Now, she suspended her campaign back in April, but with all the scandal swirling around Platner, she's making sure Democrats know that they can still vote for her if they want to. Wait.
>> All right, Selena Wang, thank you.
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