Congress

Trump on Platner: ‘It’s really a question of whether you believe the woman’

Published

1 day ago

July 9, 2026

President Donald Trump told reporters that the firestorm engulfing Maine oysterman Graham Platner is “really a question of whether you believe the woman” who accused him of sexual assault.

The remark, made to reporters on Air Force One on Wednesday, was among the president’s first public comments on the Democratic Senate nominee since POLITICO’s report this week that a woman who Platner dated said he forced her to have sex with him five years ago — which he has denied.

Platner has lost significant support across the Democratic Party since the article published. He is expected to speak Wednesday as his campaign publicly battles with the Maine Democratic Party over next steps, should he drop out of the race against GOP Sen. Susan Collins.

My colleague, Megan Messerly, who is traveling with the president en route back to the United States from the NATO Summit, asked Trump whether Democrats should be able to pick a replacement for Platner, who won the Democratic primary last month. The president appeared skeptical and invoked the story of another woman, Lyndsey Fifield, who alleged Platner mistreated her and faced attacks because of her ties to the Republican Party. Fifield did not accuse Platner of sexual assault.

Here’s the full exchange the president had with reporters on Air Force One.

Do you think that the Democrats should be able to pick a replacement for Graham Platner? He’s had all of these new allegations that have come out. Now Democrats are talking about picking a replacement for him. Should they be able to do that?

Trump: They’re picking what?

A replacement for Graham Platner if he steps out of the race.

Trump: Well, so he won the primary, right?

And now there are these new allegations.

Trump: It’s very hard for them to do. It’s really a question of whether you believe the woman. A lot of people say big falsehoods. It’s a — he’s in a bind. He’s in a bind. But should they be able to do it? Well, I guess he’s going to lose. I would imagine he’s going to lose.

It’s very interesting when a Republican woman came out with the same charge, nobody believed her. When this woman came out, everybody believed her.

Congress

Morris Katz: ‘I’m deeply disappointed’

Published

7 hours ago

July 9, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

One of Graham Platner’s top political advisers said he and others suggested Platner drop out of the Maine Senate race when they “became aware of the rape allegations.”

“As soon as the team became aware of the rape allegations against Graham Platner we advised he suspend his candidacy, and in the following days worked to wind down the campaign,” Democratic strategist Morris Katz wrote on X on Thursday. “Like so many of his supporters, I’m deeply disappointed.”

The social media post is Katz’s first public comment since POLITICO’s report Monday that a woman said Platner forced her to have sex with him, which he denies.

Katz also confirmed in a follow-up post that Platner plans to file the paperwork to officially terminate his campaign. The Maine Secretary of State’s office has not yet received the paperwork, according to a spokesperson. Platner has until 5 p.m. Monday to formally withdraw.

The 27-year-old Democratic strategist — who also advises New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and other progressive candidates — helped recruit Platner for his Senate bid last summer and helped produce the viral launch video that supercharged the oysterman’s campaign.

In recent days, Katz has faced scrutiny over the campaign vetting process for Platner.

Congress

Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows is officially running for Senate

Published

11 hours ago

July 9, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows officially launched her Senate bid to replace Graham Platner on Thursday afternoon.

“After serious consideration, I am announcing my campaign for United States Senate, because I believe that together we can unify Democrats in Maine at this difficult time, and forge ahead with a campaign that fights for working people, stands up to a broken system that’s working against us, and defeats Susan Collins,” Bellows wrote in a post on X.

Bellows, who recently lost in the Democratic primary for governor, had been widely expected to enter the race after Platner suspended his campaign. She was fielding calls about a possible bid in the days after POLITICO reported an allegation of sexual assault against him, according to one person familiar with her campaign, granted anonymity to discuss internal conversations. Platner denied the allegation.

A progressive Democrat, Bellows has built a national profile as Maine’s secretary of state, often clashing with President Donald Trump over election administration. She joins several other former gubernatorial hopefuls, including former public health official Nirav Shah and former Platner ally Troy Jackson, as official contenders for the Democratic nomination.

But the race marks Bellows’ second bid for the Senate. She challenged Collins, the Republican incumbent, in 2014 and lost — a defeat that is likely to draw fresh scrutiny as she makes her case to Maine voters this time around.

Congress

Chuck Grassley pushed for more transparency into Kash Patel’s FBI spending in May, Democrats reveal

Published

13 hours ago

July 9, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) asked FBI Director Kash Patel to provide more details on his use of taxpayer resources in May, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Mid.) and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) revealed in a letter this week, as questions continue to swirl over Patel’s financial stewardship of the agency.

The embattled FBI director has long faced allegations that he is using the perks of his office for personal gain, after news outlets reported last year he used government jets for personal travel and surrounded his girlfriend, country music singer Alexis Wilkins, with SWAT team protection at public events.

Patel’s trip via agency jet to the Winter Olympics in Milan this February, in which he partied with the American men’s ice hockey team after they won gold, led to yet more questions.

Patel has repeatedly publicly denied that his use of government resources is inappropriate.

“This abuse obviously comes at the expense of the American taxpayer and ongoing Bureau operations as it ties up Bureau aircraft, Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) teams, and agents in ways so outrageous that even congressional Republicans can no longer ignore them,” Durbin and Raskin wrote in their letter.

In a letter from Grassley sent in May, which was viewed by Blue Light News, he asked Patel to “provide a list of each flight you took on an FBI aircraft, including the departure and destination,” as well as the cost of each. He also asked Patel to explain why the bureau purchased BMWs rather than Chevy Suburbans for personal transport — and to provide a full cost breakdown of the financial impacts of the maneuver.

Raskin and Durbin — the ranking members on the House and Senate Judiciary Committees — are seeking answers to many of the same questions highlighted by Grassley, they wrote in their letter.

The eight-term Iowa senator, who turns 93 in September, emphasized he’d previously held FBI directors under Democratic administrations to similar scrutiny.

“For decades, regardless of which political party is in the White House, I have worked to ensure that taxpayer dollars are protected from waste, fraud, and abuse,” Grassley wrote.

Grassley’s office and the FBI did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

“The American people deserve an FBI Director focused on keeping us all safe rather than jet-setting to check off personal bucket list items,” Durbin and Raskin wrote. “Congress requires a transparent accounting of how you are using Americans’ hard-earned tax dollars.”