How the Platner Campaign Imploded, and New Questions About Trump’s Qatari-Donated Jet
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From The New York Times, it's The Headlines. I'm Tracy Mumford. Today's Thursday, July 9th. Here's what we're covering.
We built a campaign. We engaged in electoral politics. We motivated people. We did it the way that we were told we are supposed to make change. And now they are not going to let us have it. Not if it's me. and so we're suspending campaign operations.
Graham Platner, the Democratic nominee for Senate in Maine, has bowed out of the race after facing intense pressure from his party following an accusation of rape. The Marine veteran and oysterman, who came out of nowhere in the last year to become a star of the progressive movement, has vehemently denied the allegation, but said yesterday that there was no way his campaign could continue under that cloud.
Those in power, who have the ability to do so are using these allegations as an excuse to take away all of the things that we need to run a campaign.
The rape allegation was the final blow for Plattner, leading to ally after ally pulling their support. And the Senate Democratic campaign arm said it wouldn't put money into his race. But it was also only the latest controversy around Plattner. In the last year, at the same time as his campaign was building the first-time candidate into a rising star, it was weathering a steady drip of scandal. From old offensive social media posts, to a tattoo he'd had resembling a Nazi symbol, to reports from women who he'd dated about unsettling behavior. Along the way, Plattner denied the most serious allegations and urged Mainers to not judge him for, quote, "...the worst thing I said on the internet on my worst day 14 years ago."
Those familiar with his campaign told The Times that Plattner repeatedly promised there was nothing else damaging from his past that could come up, and then something else would. Now, there are growing questions about whether the vetting process was thorough enough, given how key the main Senate race is for control of Congress. Plattner, dropping out this close to Election Day, has injected a new level of chaos into Democrats' effort to flip the seat blue. The state Democratic Party has said it's going to hold a convention to choose a new nominee, which it needs to do before a deadline of July 27th.
In Turkey last night, President Trump wrapped up his trip for the NATO summit. But instead of flying off on his new Qatari-donated Boeing 747, which he took to Turkey, Trump left on the old Air Force One instead because of security concerns. According to people briefed on the change in plans, the precautionary move came at the urging of the Secret Service after attacks flared up again between the U.S. and Iran, which borders Turkey. The officials didn't say why that necessitated a plane switch, but ever since the U.S. accepted the jet, there have been questions about whether it could be properly retrofitted with all the security measures Air Force One planes usually have. For example, the older planes have been widely reported to include things like a system that can force missiles off course.
But it's unclear if any of those capabilities have been installed on the new luxury jet, which Trump pressed to get into service as quickly as possible. Sources briefed on the new plane's capabilities said it doesn't have all the features of the older planes. Yesterday, Trump denied that the change in aircraft was about security, saying instead that he would travel on the original Air Force One, quote, for old time's sake, and so that the new jet could leave early and stop at a U.S.
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