He didn’t, nonetheless, decide to remaining within the Senate race, saying he was “mindful of the political reality” introduced on by the allegations.
Racicot, whose accusations in opposition to Platner had been first reported by Politico, mentioned in an interview with NCS’s Jake Tapper on Monday, that the alleged assault occurred at her house in Downeast Maine 5 years in the past.
Here are 5 takeaways from the interview.
She alleged that Platner had been consuming
Racicot mentioned she had been seeing Platner casually for about two years when the alleged assault occurred. She mentioned the 2 had been texting forwards and backwards and that Platner had “taken something that I said as an invitation [to come over], and that’s not how I meant it.”
She mentioned Platner didn’t reply to a follow-up message, arrived at her house a half hour later, and entered via her unlocked entrance door.
Racicot mentioned that Platner jumped on high of her and she rapidly realized he was appearing “different,” including that he smelled of alcohol and appeared “heavily intoxicated.”
(Platner has beforehand acknowledged struggling with alcohol abuse, which he has characterised as self-medication stemming from his fight service and post-traumatic stress dysfunction.)
Racicot mentioned her protests appeared to fall on deaf ears.
“That blank stare is kind of like a photographic memory that I still have of that night,” she mentioned. “That was me recognizing what the situation was. It wasn’t just, ‘hey someone showed up, I’m going to tell him to go home.’ He was heavily intoxicated, had intentions with me, and wasn’t listening when I said no.”
Platner knew on some degree he lacked consent, she mentioned
Racicot urged that, even in his intoxicated state, Platner confirmed glimpses “in moments” that he was conscious he was doing one thing unsuitable.
“It was this weird mix of … coming to, and [then] falling back into that drunken, ‘I don’t know what I’m doing’ state,” she mentioned. “He would apologize in those moments, and then go back to doing what he was doing.”
As the state of affairs escalated, Racicot mentioned she explicitly informed Platner to cease. At one level, she mentioned, she remembered swatting away his hand and telling him to not contact her.
“It got to the point where I was like, ‘I feel like I’ve said this enough times. He’s not listening to me, he’s not hearing me,’” she mentioned, including that “I don’t believe that you can think that that scenario is consensual.”
She mentioned she feared for her security
Once she acknowledged that Platner was drunk and wasn’t listening to her, “I knew in that moment I wasn’t safe,” she mentioned.
Platner has additionally confronted allegations from one other former girlfriend that he grabbed her forcefully throughout their relationship, though she mentioned he by no means hit or punched her. He acknowledged “not being a good boyfriend” however denied appearing violently in direction of his former companions.
Racicot mentioned that though her earlier encounters with Platner had been consensual, she knew that she wouldn’t be capable to struggle again bodily.
”I don’t know what this individual is able to,” she recalled thinking. “Even people you know for years, you don’t know the depth of what they’re capable of. I didn’t want to find out how unsafe, how harmed I could be that night.”
She said she chose not to resist the alleged attack “for my safety.”
“Complying is not consenting,” she added. “It’s getting it over with.”
She mentioned she has not talked to Platner since
After the alleged rape, Racicot said she chose to let Platner sleep at her home rather than call the police or force him to drive home while intoxicated. But in the morning, she said she was shocked when Platner woke up and went to put his arm around her.
“I was like, ‘whoa,’” she said. “[It was me] realizing that this person doesn’t know that what happened isn’t OK.”
Racicot told him to leave and said she never wanted to speak to him again. Platner left without arguing or asking her any questions about the night before, she said.
“How can somebody that you’ve been in some type of a relationship with for this long tell you to never speak to [them] again about something you did, and you don’t even ask [them] what you did?” she said.
Racicot said that after a few weeks, she sent Platner a final message, which he did not respond to, and then blocked his phone number and social media.
“This is a person I have known and have trusted and have had [a] very consensual relationship all along,” she said. “Until it wasn’t. That was a really hard thing to understand.”
She mentioned she agrees with his politics
Platner’s campaign has suggested that previous accusations against him have been politically motivated. Racicot, however, said she “couldn’t disagree more” with that notion.
”I’m not mad at anyone who has voted for him all along,” she mentioned. “If he wasn’t who he was, I would be voting for him as well.”
Racicot, a Democrat, added that she “really agree[d]” with Platner’s politics, and that his platform of change resonated with her and plenty of of her neighbors.
“I like the things that he speaks about,” she mentioned. “They’re important to people, [and] I’m one of those people.”
By coming ahead with her allegations, she feared undermining his marketing campaign, she mentioned.
The alleged assault was beforehand alluded to in a New York Times story revealed days earlier than final month’s Democratic main, which Platner gained overwhelmingly won his closest competitor, Governor Janet Mills, suspended her marketing campaign.
But distinguished Democrats are actually calling on him to drop out of the race earlier than a submitting deadline subsequent week, which might enable another candidate to replace him on the November poll.
Racicot stopped in need of urging individuals to not vote for Platner however mentioned her story ought to “give a clearer picture of who he is and the type of past that he has.”
“I just think it’s fair to the democratic process to let people know who they’re voting for,” she mentioned.
Camilo Fonseca will be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on X @fonseca_esq and on Instagram @camilo_fonseca.reports.