Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is dodging questions about explosive abuse allegations and Nazi tattoo claims rocking Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner’s campaign — saying she needs more time to “dig into” the reports before commenting.
“This all kind of just came out. I’ve been doing legislative business on the floor, so I need to dig into everything further before commenting on it,” Ocasio-Cortez told reporters.
“I don’t want to speak before I’ve dug into a lot of, you know, to before I’ve dug into what’s out there. So, I just want to be respectful of that man.”
The New York Democrat’s caution comes after The New York Times released a damning report Thursday detailing allegations from multiple women who were romantically involved with Platner. The women recounted allegations of rape fantasies, heavy drinking, and violent episodes.
Lyndsey Fifield, an ex-girlfriend, described an incident where Platner allegedly pushed her into a bedroom, twisted her arm behind her back, and locked her inside. She escaped only after falling asleep and waking hours later.
Fifield also told the Times that Platner would “fantasize about killing people he deemed a threat.”
In another bombshell claim, Fifield recounted how Platner would joke about his chest tattoo of a Totenkopf — the skull emblem used by Nazi death camp guards. According to Fifield, Platner said he and members of his military unit chose the symbol because of parallels between them and the Schutzstaffel, explaining “they were a death unit… killers.”
That account contradicts Platner’s public narrative that he didn’t know the tattoo was associated with Nazi imagery.
Platner, who has acknowledged struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder from his military service, released a statement saying he has “been open about what was a very dark period of my life where I struggled with undiagnosed PTSD.”
“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 far from a perfect boyfriend.”
The Thursday report adds to a mounting pile of controversies threatening Platner’s campaign to unseat Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine. Platner has faced criticism for making off-color remarks on sexual abuse, race, and terror, as well as for allegedly messaging several women outside his marriage in inappropriate ways.
In one resurfaced 2013 Reddit post, Platner blamed rape victims for failing to protect themselves, writing: “How about people just take some responsibility for themselves and not so f—ed up when they wind up having sex with someone they don’t mean to?”
Notably, Ocasio-Cortez has not endorsed Platner, a fellow progressive, despite his efforts to unseat Collins.
Platner met with Democratic senators earlier this week to reassure them about his candidacy. Maine will hold its Senate primaries next Tuesday.
