Despite the rumored New York Times story on Maine Democrat Graham Platner’s past relationships breaking Thursday afternoon, NBC took until Saturday night to mention it on either of their flagship newscasts — Today or Nightly News — before quickly dropping it thereafter, while ABC and CBS have covered it repeatedly since Friday.
Saturday Nightly News anchor Jose Diaz-Balart’s tease couldn’t have been any more vague: “A controversial Senate candidate and one of the most high-profile races in the country. Now, he’s fighting for his political life and pushing back against new allegations.”
Diaz-Balart was slightly more specific at the start of the one-minute-and-52-second piece: “Now to Maine and one of the most high-profile Senate races in the country. Democratic candidate Graham Platner speaking out, defending himself against new allegations with a primary just days away.”
Absurd it took NBC News until Saturday's 'NBC Nightly News' to mention The New York Times story on Graham Platner during either one of their lead AM or PM shows ('Today and 'Nightly News') pic.twitter.com/jkhZWmePXO
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) June 8, 2026
Correspondent Monica Alba said Platner used a Friday night rally “to address new allegations of toxic and unsettling behavior from three women, who spoke with The New York Times about past romantic relationships with him.”
After a clip of Platner claiming “every single piece” of his “journey” has been “weaponized,” Alba didn’t even go into detail about what ex-girlfriends such as Lyndsey Fifield described to The Times, down to his abusive and erratic behavior, inappropriate touching, and promise to rape any home intruders.
Instead, she said this was “the latest scandal for the combat veteran and oyster farm owner-turned-politician, running to unseat five-term incumbent Republican Susan Collins, who called the accusations troubling, but some of his supporters had been able to overlook them.”
Her proof was an elderly, white male Mainer who gushed these stories are “refreshing” because they’re proof he’s “own[ed] up to stuff” and “working to be a better person.”
Alba spoke to Maine newspaperman Alex Seitz-Wald, but curiously left out the fact that he used to work for NBC and then-sister network MSNBC:
ALBA: Alex Seitz-Wald covers politics for Maine’s Mid-Coast Villager newspaper. [TO SEITZ-WALD] It’s not the first controversy for Plattner, but could this be a bit of a breaking point?
SEITZ-WALD: I do think this scandal is hitting differently for supporters. It’s created this perception that there might be another shoe that’s going to drop.
“With three days until the primary, Democratic leadership is largely sticking by Platner, though some are voicing concerns,” she added ahead of a soundbite from Michigan Democrat Congresswoman Debbie Dingell making clear she wouldn’t do anything to help him.
With this having been the only Platner/exes story on a flagship NBC morning or evening show thus far, Alba’s gentle, pro-Platner framing was all the more ludicrous: “Platner, while saying in the past he was not a perfect boyfriend, denies ‘anything alleging physicality.’ And, come Tuesday, is likely to become a key part of Democrats’ hopes to win back the Senate.”
To see the relevant NBC transcript from June 6, click here.
