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Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville blasted Democrats for failing to properly vet Graham Platner during a podcast on Wednesday.
Democratic Party leaders and liberal commentators who once defended Platner amid previous scandals ranging from controversial rhetoric to a Nazi-associated tattoo have since denounced him over new sexual assault allegations.
Maine resident Jenny Racicot accused Platner of rape in interviews with Politico and CNN on Monday, alleging the Senate hopeful entered her home uninvited while intoxicated nearly five years ago and forced himself on her. Platner has denied the allegation.
Carville spoke about the election on Wednesday’s episode of “Politics War Room” as a clear case of younger Democrats failing to observe the tried and true political wisdom of the past.
Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville, who had previously been a staunch defender of Maine Democratic candidate Graham Platner has since called out the local party for failing to sufficiently vet him like politicians would do in past decades. (Carville photo via Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for SCAD | Platner photo via Graeme Sloan/Getty Images)
“The Platner rise was also a rise of a different attitude set,” Carville said. “It was the consultants of like 27, 28 years old, and they were not sort of straitjacketed by the old rules of politics, and it looked like they had some real success. I mean, they won. They knocked the incumbent governor — couldn’t even run — and they were kind of ahead in the polls.”
“If I look back on this… you didn’t vet your own candidate ? You mean you didn’t know?” Carville rhetorically asked of Maine Democrats. “Okay, we used to get our own oppo researchers to do an oppo research book on us. It’s the most important research you do!”
“And so they took off in this campaign, and all of this was recent. It wasn’t way back in some other godforsaken time. I don’t think they knew. I don’t think they wanted to know,” Carville said. “It’s so, so ’80s to do a briefing on your own candidate to find out what’s wrong with him. But, you know, there are certain rules in politics.”
This denouncement was a stark contrast from Carville’s previous rhetoric in defense of Platner amid his previous scandals just over a month before.
PLATNER’S THREE-DAY VETTING JOB COMES BACK TO HAUNT DEMS AS RAPE ALLEGATION ROCKS SENATE BID
Many high-level Democrats and liberal commentators have abandoned Maine Democratic candidate Graham Platner amid recent allegations. (Matthew Symons for Fox News Digital)
“He’s f—ed up, he’s been shot at, he’s a veteran, he’s a little bit weird, he’s an oysterman,” said Carville, who, like Platner, served in the United States Marine Corps. “Maybe we need a combat veteran right on that Senate floor who is f—ed up.”
One noteworthy part of the previous defense was his World War II comparison, arguing, “And you know if Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill could work with Joseph Stalin — who, by the way, well, I’ll tell you this, he was a bad guy, a really bad guy, alright — then I can overlook a tattoo.”
But one of Carville’s defenses of Platner, who has now been denounced by multiple past girlfriends, has aged particularly poorly.
“I don’t know how to tell The New York Times this, but boy puts hand on girl’s t—y, girl moves hand, boy walks away rejected and despondent. It happens,” Carville said.
Fox News Digital reached out to Platner’s campaign and did not receive any immediate reply.
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Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville had previously defended politician Graham Platner amid other controversies, but has since changed his tune. (David Dee Delgado/Getty Images for The New York Times)
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Fox News’ Adam Pack and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
