Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner rejects new allegations of abusive behavior

Key points

• Graham Platner, a Democratic candidate for the US Senate, has rejected an explosive new report about his treatment of women, insisting that allegations of abusive behavior are “politically motivated”.
• Platner, a progressive running for election in Maine, was responding to a New York Times article published on Thursday that included an interview with a Republican operative who accused him of womanizing, physical misconduct and making troubling comments about rape.
• The claims prompted fresh calls for Platner, 41, who has faced scrutiny over past social media posts and a tattoo recognized as a Nazi symbol, to withdraw from next week’s Democratic primary in Maine, though he gave no hint of doing so.
• Platner also addressed the story in an interview on Thursday with MS Now’s Chris Hayes.
• “There are some allegations in this piece that are simply not true.