CNN’s Abby Phillip Calls Out Democrats Who Didn’t Believe Previous Platner Accuser Because She’s a Republican

CNN NewsNight host Abby Phillip challenged Democrats who swiftly abandoned Senate candidate Graham Platner for Maine following a new rape allegation, questioning why many had dismissed an earlier accuser because of her perceived political ties and asking whether they now owed her “an apology.”

The remarks came Monday night, just hours after a bombshell Politico report detailed allegations from 41-year-old Maine resident Jenny Racicot, who said she had an on-and-off relationship with Platner for more than two years before accusing him of sexual assault.

Racicot alleged that during one encounter she described as “not consensual,” Platner entered her home “uninvited” while intoxicated, according to the report.

In an interview with CNN later that evening, Racicot said her decision to come forward was not politically motivated.

Platner denied the allegations in a video statement, but announced he was pausing his Senate campaign to “reflect on the best path forward.”

The development prompted several prominent Democrats, including Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Sen. Rubén Gallego (D-AZ), to withdraw their endorsements after previously backing Platner’s campaign.

Gallego’s decision drew a pointed response from Lindsey Fifield, whose allegations against Platner surfaced earlier this year in a New York Times report. Fifield wrote on X: “Mine weren’t sufficiently troubling or serious for you, right?”

The Times report detailed claims from Fifield, a former girlfriend who alleged Platner had been violent during their relationship, including twisting her arm during an argument. After publication, Fifield accused the paper of mishandling her account in what she described as “a set up.”

Phillip questioned whether Democrats who had dismissed Fifield’s allegations were now reckoning with their response:

“It‘s been interesting to see some of those people who dragged this woman, Lindsey Fifield, who was in The New York Times story, they called it uncorroborated claims. You know, another person basically said that she was essentially a plant of the Republican Party. And now those people have changed their tune,” she observed, flashing tweets on-screen from liberal pundits and lawmakers.

She continued: “But I also think, like, is there an apology that needs to be had here? And some soul searching to be had here? Is it enough to just say, ‘Well, this woman, I believe, I didn’t believe the last one.'”

Phillip noted that Fifield had pointed this out to Gallego, adding: “It is fair to ask what’s up with people who have to look at the partisan identification next to your name before they decide whether or not they’re going to listen to you?”

Watch above via CNN.

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