Lyndsey Fifield, a former girlfriend of embattled Democratic Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner, says The New York Times «gaslit» and «betrayed» her during the reporting of a story published last month about Platner's behavior toward women. Fifield told Fox News Digital that the Times reporters pressured her to go on the record, promised to protect her, and then published a piece that focused heavily on her conservative political affiliations while burying her allegations of sexual misconduct deep in the article.
Fifield dated Platner between 2013 and 2015. She initially told Times reporters Katie Glueck and Lisa Lerer, off the record, that Platner repeatedly removed his condom during sex without her knowledge or consent — a practice known as stealthing, which is illegal in some states. She said she was reluctant to share that detail publicly because of its intimate nature and because she is now a wife and mother of young children. However, after Times reporters connected her with another accuser, Jenny Racicot, and urged her to come forward to help other women, Fifield agreed to speak on the record.
«They said … very insistently, ‘Wait, wait, there are other women who are very afraid to come forward. They do not want to tell their stories because of how vulnerable they are, and you can help them, and we can protect you,» Fifield recalled. «I didn't want to do this. 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.»
When the Times story was published, Fifield was shocked to find that her allegations were not prominently featured. 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» appeared only in the 24th paragraph. Instead, the article devoted 11 paragraphs to her work history, describing her as a «Virginia conservative who has worked for right-leaning groups and Republican campaigns.» Fifield said the reporters had asked numerous questions about her career under the pretense of protecting her from the Platner campaign, but the final product made her feel like her credibility was being undermined.
«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 said. She insisted she is «not some political operative» and that the Times' framing suggested her allegations were politically motivated. «I want to blame the editors at The New York Times,» she added. «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.»
The Times story also alluded to Racicot's allegation — that Platner drunkenly entered her home uninvited in 2021 and had sex with her despite her repeatedly telling him to stop — only in the 70th paragraph, without using the word rape. Racicot has since gone on the record with Politico, describing the incident as rape. That report, published Monday, prompted prominent Democrats to call for Platner to step aside, and he officially dropped out of the race Wednesday night. Platner has denied the allegations.
Fifield said the Times reporters connected her with Racicot before the story was published, telling her that Racicot «had no one» and was «totally isolated» because of her far-left social circle that supported Platner's campaign. «They said she really needs a friend, and you will understand her … and they were right about that. We have become friends,» Fifield said. After Racicot went public with her claim, Fifield decided to go on the record about the stealthing allegation with The Washington Post on Tuesday.
Fifield also recalled that after the Times story was published, the reporters urged her to avoid social media and public criticism. «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,» she said. Some left-wing allies of Platner had suggested Fifield's story was tainted because of her personal views.
The controversy has drawn scrutiny to the Times' handling of the story, with critics arguing that the paper's focus on Fifield's politics undermined the seriousness of the allegations. Platner's withdrawal from the race marks the end of a campaign that had drawn support from progressive figures and media outlets, but the fallout over how the allegations were reported continues.
