Bernie Sanders Throws Platner Under the Bus After Months of Heavy Support: Should ‘Step Aside’

(Robert F. Bukaty/AP photo)

Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) broke his silence on Graham Platner on Tuesday, a day after a bombshell report of a new sexual assault allegation against the Maine Senate candidate.

In a brief statement obtained by CNN’s Aaron Blake, Sanders said of the candidate he helped rise to a primary victory: “I have spoken with Graham Platner about the best path forward for Maine. In light of these very serious allegations, I have recommended that he step aside.”

Sanders’s shocking abandonment comes after months of undaunted support for Platner despite a tainted personal history, including a since-removed Nazi-linked chest tattoo, demeaning behavior, and troubling Reddit posts.

On Monday, Politico dropped a bombshell exclusive interview with Jenny Racicot, a former flame of Platner, who alleged that he came to her Maine home uninvited one night in 2021, deeply intoxicated, and forced himself on her despite her repeated pleas for him to stop.

Sanders joins numerous Democratic colleagues, including early Platner boosters Rep. Ro Khanna (CA) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (MA), in dropping their support of the embattled candidate.

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