‘Never Even Heard Her Name’: Susan Collins Denies Knowing Platner Accuser, Calls Allegations ‘Troubling’

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Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) answered Maine media’s questions about opponent Graham Platner (D)’s ex-girlfriend Lyndsey Fifield, a registered Republican who recently made allegations against him to The New York Times.

In the Times story, Fifield is described as a “Virginia conservative” who reportedly dated Platner between 2013 and 2015, and disputed his claim that he was unaware one of his tattoos was a Nazi “Totenkopf.” Fifield also said Platner could be “rough” with her, “leaving her shaken and sometimes afraid,” but added that he “never hit me, he never punched me.”

“I know it looks like a bitter ex-girlfriend Republican trying to take down a Democrat — it has nothing to do with that,” Fifield told the Times. “If he was running as a Republican, I would be doing this exact same thing.”

A reporter with WMTW TV posted the brief interview with Collins on Friday, asking about her reaction to the Times interview.

“The allegations in the latest story are troubling, and I believe that Graham Platner has a lot of questions to answer,” Collins said.

“Do you think it will cost him votes, and should it cost him votes this November?” another reporter asked.

“Well, that’s really up to the people of Maine,” Collins said. “So we’ll see what happens.”

“One of the women that the Times spoke to, Lindsey Fifield, he called her a ‘GOP operative,'” a reporter said. “I believe she worked for Nikki Haley’s campaign at one point. She even joked in some messages with friends about, you know, going to campaign for you. But said she had no connection to you and the Times couldn’t couldn’t find anything there either. Just, on the record, is there any connection to this Lindsey Fifield from your side of things?”

“There isn’t. I’ve never met her and I’ve never even heard her name before I read The New York Times story,” Collins answered.

Fifield has been a registered Republican since at least 2012, and briefly served as a digital marketing director for Haley’s presidential campaign for two months in 2023. Fifield also worked as a social media manager for more than six years at conservative think tank the Heritage Foundation.

In a statement, Platner’s campaign told the Times “Let’s be very clear: This is a lifelong G.O.P. operative who’s dedicated her career to electing Republicans.”

Fifield told the Times that she had no affiliation with Collins’s campaign.

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