Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., reaffirmed his support for Graham Platner, Maine’s presumptive Democratic nominee for Senate, on Saturday, after fresh allegations in the New York Times this week from multiple women accusing Platner of disturbing behavior and creating ‘toxic’ relationships, according to Forbes. Sanders did not directly address the allegations against Platner, instead insisting in a social media post the Maine Senate nominee was ‘the only candidate who will do something’ about the economy, healthcare, and tax system.

Allegations and Platner’s Response

Platner said during a Friday rally in Maine, ‘As every single piece of that past and journey gets dug up, litigated, and weaponized, you have my back.’ Platner asked his wife, Amy Gertner, to stand during his rally, with supporters giving her a standing ovation as they chanted her name. Some of the women interviewed by the Times described Platner as fun, caring, and safe to be around, though others detailed ‘toxic’ relationships they had with him.

Lyndsey Fifield, 40, who said she dated Platner from 2013 to 2015, told the Times that Platner was ‘cavalierly contemptuous of women’s emotions, of our ‘weakness.” Fifield also accused Platner of being rough with her while he drank, clarifying to the Times she was never struck by him but was regularly grabbed by the shoulders. enny Racicot, 41, who said she dated Platner between 2019 and 2021, referenced controversial online posts he made in the past about sexual assault and rural white Americans, saying she ‘recognized a version of him that I had experiences with.’ Forbes has reached out to Platner’s campaign, which told the Times he ‘strongly disputes’ claims of physical intimidation or altercations—though it did not dispute the claims around his remarks.

Platner’s Initial Response to the New Allegations

In an MS NOW interview, Platner was confronted with the latest allegations and he said they were not true. After interviewer Chris Hayes read out a snippet from the article, the Democratic candidate responded: ‘There are some allegations in this piece that I just want to be kind of unequivocal about, are simply not true. Anything alleging physicality, anything alleging that I knew what my tattoo was, these are the statements of someone who’s politically motivated.’

Platner noted that the reporting about him ‘struggling, not being a good boyfriend, certainly self-medicating with alcohol,’ is something he’s been ‘very up front since the beginning of this campaign that that was a pretty dark period of my life after I came back from my combat service.’ He added there are things in the article he ‘absolutely will take responsibility for…But those serious allegations are just not true.’

Platner’s Sexting Controversy and Sanders’ Support

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders said Monday that he is standing by Graham Platner in the wake of media reports that the Maine Senate candidate previously exchanged sexually explicit text messages with several women while he was married, according to Scripps News. Platner, a Democrat, posted a video over the weekend taken by his wife, Amy Gertner, who reportedly told his campaign of the text messages last year. In the video, Gertner decried coverage of the issue as ‘gossip’ and said ‘being married is hard.’

Sanders, a critical early backer of Platner, told The Associated Press on Monday that he still supports the oyster farmer and combat veteran, who hopes to unseat veteran Republican Sen. Susan Collins. ‘People can’t afford healthcare. Can’t afford groceries. Can’t afford to put gas in their cars. And I think it might be a good idea if we focused on the important issues facing the working families of Maine and this country,’ Sanders said. Pressed later by reporters on whether he still backed Platner, Sanders was unequivocal. ‘Of course,’ he said. ‘Why would I not?’ The independent senator added that he was scheduled to meet with Platner while he’s in Washington this week and feels the nation should ‘focus on issues more important than the distractions of personal scandals.’