Khanna condemns Platner's past actions, but "they didn't come as a surprise" to Maine voters

Washington — Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California connected Sunday condemned Maine Democratic Senate campaigner Graham Platner's alleged behaviour toward women, but said helium has taken "accountability" for his actions. 

"His actions were misogynistic, they were shameful, they were wrong, but they didn't travel arsenic a astonishment to a batch of the folks successful Maine," Khanna said successful an interrogation with "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan." 

Khanna campaigned with Platner connected Friday successful Maine arsenic Democrats question to flip the spot held by Republican Sen. Susan Collins successful November successful what is 1 of the astir intimately watched races successful the country. Any anticipation for Democrats to instrumentality power of the precocious enclosure includes flipping Collins' seat, and she is the lone Republican legislator representing a authorities won by Kamala Harris successful 2024. 

"The Maine voters that I met said they don't similar it. They knew that helium had these chapters. They are consenting to widen him grace and redemption and they're focused present connected what he's moving for," Khanna said. 

After the disclosure past week that Platner had sent sexual messages to women who were not his wife, allegations astir the candidate's behaviour toward ex-girlfriends besides surfaced. A aboriginal New York Times report described Platner's "unsettling" behavior, including 1 assertion that helium was physically abusive, which Platner denies. 

According to the Times, Platner's then-girlfriend, Lyndsey Fifield, said that portion they were dating a decennary ago, helium "regularly grabbed her by the shoulders — sometimes hard capable to permission marks." During 1 argument, helium "twisted her limb down her back, shoved her into a bedroom, and held the doorway closed from the different broadside truthful she couldn't get out." 

Some Democrats questioned the timing of the allegations — days earlier Platner's superior — and the credibility of Fifield —  who the Platner run points out. 

But Khanna said helium believed Fifield. 

"I don't deliberation our broadside should beryllium attacking her, and I admit her courageousness successful coming forward," Khanna said, calling her governmental inheritance "irrelevant." "I judge her." 

Asked whether helium was assured each of the damaging accusation has travel retired against Platner, Khanna said, "That's what helium says." 

"Obviously, look, if determination was grounds of violence, I would not enactment him. If determination was grounds of intersexual assault, I'd person zero enactment for him," Khanna added. 

On the allegations elaborate by the Times, Khanna pointed to Fifield saying that she was not injured. 

"They said determination was nary harm, nary injury. There was toxicity, and determination was verbal intimidation, which I condemn. But Graham has made it wide that determination was nary grounds of violence. That to maine is simply a reddish line," Khanna said.