Lyndsey Fifield has described her interactions with a prominent national newspaper as a profound sense of "betrayal," asserting that the publication "tainted" her narrative concerning Graham Platner, a former Democratic candidate for the Maine Senate seat.
The political landscape was significantly altered by a report published earlier this week detailing sexual assault allegations against Platner by one of his former partners, Jenny Racicot. In 2021, Racicot alleged that Platner, while intoxicated, entered her home without an invitation and engaged in sexual activity with her despite her repeated objections. Platner has consistently denied these claims.
Racicot's assertion, which she characterized as rape, led to calls from notable Democrats for Platner to withdraw from the race. He officially ended his campaign on Wednesday evening.
Both Racicot and Fifield were interviewed for a story published last month by the national newspaper, which explored Platner's "unsettling" conduct with women. However, Fifield noted that the report prominently featured her conservative political background.
Initial Engagement with Reporters
Fifield, who was in a relationship with Platner from 2013 to 2015, recounted that her involvement began in April when a reporter from the publication, Katie Glueck, contacted her. Glueck reportedly stated that the publication was seeking individuals who had relationships with Platner after hearing "some really serious things" from other women. Another reporter, Lisa Lerer, co-authored the subsequent story and was also deeply involved in the reporting process.
"I didn’t want to do this," Fifield stated. "They made me feel guilty that if I didn’t go on the record, then Jenny and the other unnamed woman, that their stories wouldn’t get told."
Before the article's publication, the reporters facilitated a connection between Fifield and Racicot. Fifield found this unusual but was informed by the reporters that Racicot was "totally isolated" and "had no one" due to her far-left social circle, which largely supported Platner's campaign. The reporters suggested Fifield would be a valuable friend to Racicot.
"They said she really needs a friend, and you will understand her... and they were right about that. We have become friends," Fifield confirmed.
Allegations and Public Disclosure
Racicot was not the only individual who reportedly experienced misconduct by Platner. Fifield initially shared with the national newspaper, off the record, that Platner had repeatedly removed his condom during sex without her awareness or consent—an act known as "stealthing," which is illegal in several jurisdictions. She initially hesitated to disclose this publicly due to its "gross" nature and her current life as a wife and mother of young children.
Inspired by Racicot's decision to go on the record with her assault claim in the Politico report, Fifield publicly disclosed her "stealthing" allegation with another major news outlet on Tuesday.
Fifield expressed her shock at the national newspaper's published report, which featured her prominently despite her impression that the allegations from other women would be central. She questioned the focus on her personal details.
"I'm out here on my own, I'm the only one photographed, and there's 11 paragraphs of my work history. Like, what is this?" Fifield reacted.
Racicot had initially provided her alleged assault details to the national newspaper off the record. This incident was briefly mentioned approximately 70 paragraphs into the story, stating, "Ms. Racicot also said that in 2021 he arrived at her house drunk, after she had asked him not to come over. She declined to elaborate, but said she cut off contact soon after that episode and found his behavior 'reckless' and 'unsettling.'"
Reporting Process and Fifield's Concerns
During the reporting phase, Fifield recalled reporters asking numerous questions about her career. She felt the reporters conveyed that this information was being sought to protect her from Platner's campaign, implying her claims might be linked to her political affiliation. Instead, Fifield believes the national newspaper's story burdened her account with irrelevant details about her professional background, asserting she is "not some political operative" despite the article's framing.
The newspaper's article described Fifield as a "Virginia conservative who has worked for right-leaning groups and Republican campaigns" and underscored her connections to a women’s conservative organization. Her claim that Platner once "twisted her arm behind her back, shoved her into a bedroom and held the door closed from the other side so she couldn’t get out" was situated in the 24th paragraph.
"I want to blame the editors at The New York Times," Fifield said. "I almost don't want to blame these journalists because they became like friends, I felt like we had a friendly relationship — and maybe that's me being really naïve. I don't know, it doesn't make any sense."
Fifield was perplexed when the reporters advised her to avoid public reaction to the story shortly after its publication, even as she pressed them for details about the final piece. Some left-leaning supporters of Platner suggested that Fifield’s account was compromised due to her personal political views.
"They were like, ‘Oh, Lyndsey, just stay off social media. Don't listen to people who are being critical of you. Don't listen to them. Put your phone away. Go to the lake... Go on vacation, enjoy your babies... You did a brave thing. This was so huge. You're so brave for doing this and we really appreciate it. We're here if you need anything.' And it was just, like, gaslighting," Fifield recounted.
Fifield, while not wanting to cast the reporters as "villains," characterized what transpired as "pretty evil" in light of the Politico story.
"They were like slow walking it to the week of the primary. They contacted us on April 15. There was no reason in hell that they shouldn't have been able to get that story out that week," she asserted. "It makes me sick to realize that that's what they were doing now."
The national newspaper's story last month stated it "could not independently corroborate Ms. Fifield’s account of the altercations." Fifield vehemently disputes this, claiming it is "not true" and that the reporters were aware of its falsity before publication. She informed the publication that she had confided in a friend about the abuse and other "toxic elements" of her relationship with Platner, but this friend was never contacted by the publication.
"They only called the sources that didn’t know anything about the abuse," Fifield stated. "There was a conversation where they were saying, ‘We're going to include this line about ‘could not corroborate,’ and that was when I started to get really panicked. And I was like, ‘Wait a minute, what do you mean? I thought that you called.’"
She was "horrified" when the publication informed her that her evidence "wasn’t enough" and then tried to downplay the disclaimer regarding the uncorroborated account.
"They were like, ‘Actually, it's fine. You know, women don't often come forward, so it's actually normal for women not to tell anyone,’" Fifield recalled them saying.
Emily Zanotti, a friend of Fifield's, expressed willingness to speak with the publication to corroborate Platner's mistreatment of Fifield. She publicly noted on social media that she was never contacted.
Commentators on social media, particularly conservative critics, have accused the national newspaper of employing "catch and kill" tactics to protect Platner, effectively preventing allegations of sexual misconduct from gaining widespread attention. Fifield concurred with this assessment.
Publication's Response
A spokesperson for the national newspaper defended its reporting, strongly rejecting the criticisms.
"The Times's June 4 reporting on Graham Platner and his patterns of behavior was a powerful and original piece of journalism that presented deeply personal accounts and many new facts for the first time," the spokesperson stated. "As a result of what this original article broke open, The Times and other outlets continued to produce groundbreaking, independent reporting that revealed even more new details about the sensitive and upsetting experiences that women who knew Platner went through."
"In the ensuing weeks, partisan commentators and politically-aligned media have put forward false allegations and criticism about The Times's journalism process. The story carefully reported what we could confirm at the time, was factually accurate and fair, and it alerted the public to important new information about a candidate for the Senate," the spokesperson added.