Graham Platner’s wife Amy Gertner came out to defend her husband’s Senate campaign Saturday, but X reactions to the five-minute video are rebuking it as damage control that did not dispute recent allegations against the Maine Democrat.

«So it makes me really angry, disappointed, and I find it really shameful that there’s a group of media outlets and people who are willing to spread gossip, instead of talking about real issues that Graham is running on — like healthcare and education and childcare,» Gertner said hours after the Wall Street Journal reported that Platner exchanged sexual text messages with several women after he and Gertner were married.

«Being newly married is hard. Being newly married and going through infertility is hard. Being newly married, going through infertility, and a Senate campaign is hard.»

The wife speaking for her husband after the surfacing of allegations against him – and not the candidate himself – was seized on by critics and social media users replying to the video post.

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«Graham Platner admitted to sexually explicit text messages with over a dozen women and having an account on a ‘predator paradise’ child exploitation app, then had his wife – a victim of his deviant actions – defend it,» National Republican Senatorial Committee press secretary Samantha Cantrell told Fox News Digital on Sunday.

Fox News Digital reached out to Platner’s campaign for a response but they did not immediately respond.

«It looks and sounds like a hostage video,» one X user responded to the video. «Blink twice if you need rescuing, Amy.»

The controversy comes as Platner, a progressive oyster farmer and military veteran running to unseat moderate incumbent Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, has drawn support from national Democrats, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who previously praised him by saying, «That’s my kind of man.»

TOP OFF-THE-WALL REDDIT POSTS HAUNTING GRAHAM PLATNER’S MAINE SENATE BID

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., has called Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner her ‘kind of man,’ a statement seized on by critics after allegations of infidelity are surfacing. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images; Sophie Park/Getty Images)

«I don’t even know if I have the right words to describe what we’ve been going through, but our marriage counselor helps, my personal counselor helps, Graham’s personal counselor helps, and we work on our mental health every day,» Gertner added.

«No marriage is perfect, and I don’t want a perfect marriage. I want my marriage, and I want to be married to Graham.»

But X users rebuked the use of the wife to defend the Senate campaign.

«It’s not your wife’s job to defend your infidelity, creep,» writer Emily Zanotti wrote on X.

«The big problem here is that this story only covers what exists out there: potentially dozens of emails, text messages, and videos Platner sent to who-knows-how-many women, which the campaign is now praying aren’t next to be leaked,» she added in another post.

TOP OFF-THE-WALL REDDIT POSTS HAUNTING GRAHAM PLATNER’S MAINE SENATE BID

Another X user, who is a self-proclaimed 2028 Kamala Harris for president supporter, denounced the fact a campaign «has forced his wife to make a #hostage video,» urging «Amy, please reach out to .@MEStatePolice so they can remove his firearms from your home.»

«Shame on Graham for putting her in this position,» another poster wrote on X.

Despite the blowback, Gertner did stress they have «a great marriage.» 

But critics note the video did little to answer allegations surrounding the Democrat Senate hopeful, particularly with the admission of mental health and infidelity struggles in a still-new marriage.

«I have incredible empathy for a woman who’s just had a miscarriage having to make a video defending her husband’s infidelities,» Moms Demand Action founder Shannon Watts wrote on X. «But a man so damaged by combat – according to him and his family – that he’s said and done destructive things for decades needs to recover, not run for Senate.»

GISELE FETTERMAN LAMBASTS ‘TERRIBLE’ MEDIA, SAYS JOURNALISTS BOMBARDED HER WHEN HUSBAND WAS SICK

Gertner’s video statement confirmed the mental health questions and notably did not deny the reporting.

«I knew the man that I married is wonderful and dynamic and probably a genius,» Gertner said. «I knew the man that I married had been through an immense amount of violent active combat. He’s been in therapy for years. I just I admire the f— out of him.

«So when there are news articles about our marriage, it’s just extra sh—-. Can I say that online? I hope I can.»

Earlier Saturday, Platner’s campaign confirmed the controversial text exchanges to Politico following a report from The Wall Street Journal that noted a former campaign aide seeking to get ahead of opposition research leaked the damning allegations.

DEMOCRATS ‘SELLING THEIR SOUL’ TO EMBRACE PLATNER ARE IN FOR RUDE AWAKENING WITH MAINE VOTERS: GOP LAWMAKER

«They’re trying to make this woman a scapegoat when she was clearly the canary in a coal mine,» Watts added in another X post, sharing a Facebook message from alleged whistleblower Genevieve McDonald, who rebuked those defending Platner’s campaign: «We cannot be this painfully stupid.»

«So I think I’m feeling angry today, and I don’t normally make public statements, but it’s really important for me to tell all of you out there — especially people who are voting in Maine — that I think it’s shameful behavior to spend time and energy and resources on negative ads and negative stories on Graham when all he’s trying to do is improve the lives of people who work for a living,» Gertner added.

The irony of rebuking «attacks» was not lost on critics.

«Have you read your husband’s campaign attacks, press releases and X posts?» former acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell wrote on X, replying to the campaign video post. «You think you all get a free ride to brutally attack others and not get criticized yourself?»

SUSAN COLLINS SHRUGS OFF ATTACKS BY DEMOCRATS AND TRUMP, SAYS MAINE VOTERS ‘DON’T VOTE PARTY LINE’

«Put on your big girl pants – he’s running for 1 of the 100 Senate seats,» he added.

Among the «attack» posts noted by Grenell was one from the same Platner campaign X account earlier in the day.

«Susan Collins is spineless and corrupt,» the campaign post read. «And in 157 days, we will defeat her.»

MORNING GLORY: DEMS’ BERNIE-BACKED OYSTER FARMER HANDS SUSAN COLLINS A MASSIVE 2026 ADVANTAGE

Among the reactions to Gertner’s video post were shock that infidelity in their marriage allegedly happened so quickly after she admittedly «got married in 2023.»

Also, critics noted the scripted and rehearsed reaction video where she admitted that «this is like my 20th take.»

After the withdrawal of Maine Democrat Gov. Janet Mills from the primary, Platner is his party’s presumptive nominee in Maine’s Senate race before the June 9 primary.

Rep. Jake Auchincloss, D-Mass., is the most prominent Democrat publicly pushing back, calling Platner’s Nazi-linked tattoo (Totenkopf/SS Death’s Head) «personally disqualifying» and urging Maine voters to reject him.

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Collins is in a vulnerable seat in the closely held Republican Senate majority 53-47, having served for 29 years since Jan. 3, 1997. Democrats have long targeted Collins for a potential Senate seat flip, particularly because of her checkered voting past that historically has not been a rubber stamp for President Donald Trump’s agenda.

A 41 años de la promulgación de la Constitución de 1985 en Guatemala, dos analistas coincidieron en que el texto sigue siendo una base democrática sólida, aunque arrastra desequilibrios en la distribución del poder y reformas pendientes, sobre todo en justicia, un debate que vuelve a instalarse ante el ciclo preelectoral y las propuestas de Asamblea Nacional Constituyente.

La discusión no se limita a su origen histórico. Pablo Hurtado, analista de la Asociación de Investigaciones y Estudios Sociales, sostuvo que la Constitución ha resistido pruebas políticas de alto impacto, entre ellas el intento de autogolpe de 1993, el caso Rosenberg, las elecciones de 2023 y el marco que permitió la suscripción de los acuerdos de paz.

Francisco Quezada, analista del Centro de Investigaciones Economías Nacionales, afirmó que la Constitución de 1985 no surgió como un texto enteramente nuevo, sino como una continuidad de la tradición constitucional guatemalteca. En la entrevista, describió ese proceso como una “posconstitución”, porque integra normas heredadas de cartas anteriores y también negociaciones entre actores que buscaron preservar intereses y espacios de poder.

Según Quezada, uno de los cambios más visibles del texto de 1985 fue la incorporación más amplia de la Declaración Universal de Derechos Humanos y de pactos internacionales en la materia. También ubicó entre sus novedades institucionales la creación de la Corte de Constitucionalidad y del Tribunal Supremo Electoral.

Quezada explicó que la Constitución asumió una transcripción más extensa de normas de derechos humanos que ya habían aparecido en constituciones previas. Añadió que el diseño guatemalteco estableció además un criterio dinámico: los tratados internacionales de derechos humanos a los que se adhiera Guatemala pasan a integrar el bloque constitucional.

Sobre la aparente tensión entre el derecho a la vida y la pena de muerte, Quezada dijo que ambas disposiciones derivan de tratados internacionales y no de una formulación original de los constituyentes. Señaló que la tendencia en derechos humanos es abolicionista respecto de la pena capital, aunque los tratados la reconocen bajo límites, entre ellos la existencia de indulto y la prohibición de extenderla a otros delitos.

El analista también sostuvo que la Constitución fue redactada como reacción a la alta concentración de poder que, a su juicio, existía en el presidente en la Constitución de 1965 y en etapas previas. Ese objetivo llevó a redistribuir atribuciones hacia otras instituciones, en especial el Congreso de la República, el Tribunal Supremo Electoral y la Corte de Constitucionalidad.

Para Quezada, ese rediseño produjo un efecto no previsto. Dijo que el Congreso de la República terminó acumulando demasiadas facultades porque los constituyentes consideraron que un órgano plural tendría menos posibilidades de abuso, y añadió que la Corte de Constitucionalidad adquirió un peso aún mayor sin que ese resultado hubiera sido plenamente anticipado al momento de redactar sus competencias.

La respuesta directa al debate sobre si Guatemala necesita una nueva Constitución fue negativa en ambos casos. Quezada afirmó que no convocaría una reforma constitucional general ni una Asamblea Nacional Constituyente, porque considera que la Constitución actual “no se ha terminado de aplicar y no se ha terminado de entender”, y advirtió que una constituyente quedaría en manos de corrientes políticas capaces de movilizar votos, sin garantía de producir un mejor texto.

Hurtado coincidió en que la vía de una Asamblea Nacional Constituyente es la menos aconsejable. Según el analista de Asies, la debilidad del sistema de partidos hace difícil esperar un órgano constituyente con compromiso común, por lo que una elección de ese tipo “puede resultar cualquier cosa”.

Ambos sí señalaron ámbitos concretos de corrección. Quezada ubicó uno de los principales problemas en el poder del Congreso, especialmente en materia presupuestaria, y dijo que esa institución ha actuado como si no tuviera límites al aprobar el presupuesto. También mencionó abusos vinculados con los situados constitucionales y puso como ejemplos al deporte y a la Universidad de San Carlos, que, según su evaluación, recibieron fondos multimillonarios sin resultados proporcionales o terminaron en deterioro institucional.

Como antecedente de reformas parciales, Quezada recordó los cambios de 1993, cuando se modificó el tratamiento del antejuicio de los diputados. Explicó que antes el propio Congreso conocía esos casos y que, si un legislador cometía un delito, los demás diputados impedían el avance del proceso; tras la reforma, esa facultad pasó a la Corte Suprema de Justicia.

Hurtado, por su parte, puso el foco en el sistema de justicia. Sostuvo que desde hace un par de décadas se discute la necesidad de una actualización constitucional en esa materia y que las crisis permanentes dificultan una reflexión serena, pese a que ese ámbito es el llamado a controlar que gobernantes y gobernados actúen conforme a la Constitución.

El analista de Asies dijo que el país no debe esperar un momento ideal para discutir cambios. Propuso una reforma “quirúrgica” y puntual en justicia, complementada por una revisión del sistema de partidos políticos y de la ley electoral, de modo que los partidos recuperen legitimidad, vínculos con la ciudadanía y mecanismos de democracia interna.

Hurtado añadió que desde sectores de sociedad civil, academia y sector privado ya existe un consenso más visible sobre algunos ajustes constitucionales en justicia. Planteó que el año electoral 2027 podría convertirse en una oportunidad para exigir a los candidatos compromisos explícitos con esas reformas y convertirlas en un criterio de voto.

English police are facing mounting scrutiny after officers handcuffed an 18-year-old university student as he bled to death following a fatal stabbing, allegedly after believing the attacker’s false claim that he had been the victim of a racist assault.

The case has sparked outrage across Britain, fueled political debate over policing and prompted calls for the release of body-worn camera footage from the responding officers.

Alan Mendoza, executive director and co-founder of the London-based Henry Jackson Society think tank, told Fox News Digital that the case reflected broader failures in British policing culture. «The killing of Henry Nowak shows how far the rot of political correctness has set into the British policing mentality,» Mendoza said.

«The reflex attitude today appears to be to believe any and every claim that mentions racism,» he added. «It clearly trumped actual murder in this case as a dying Mr. Nowak was arrested on the say-so of his Sikh assailant without any facts being established by the officers attending.»

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Vickrum Digwa, 23, was convicted Thursday at Southampton Crown Court of murdering Henry Nowak, an 18-year-old finance student at the University of Southampton, during a confrontation on Dec. 3, 2025.

Officers arriving at the chaotic scene initially treated Nowak as the suspect after Digwa allegedly claimed he had been racially abused and attacked. Officers handcuffed Nowak before realizing the severity of his injuries. He later collapsed and died at the scene despite attempts to administer first aid, according to Sky News.

Following the verdict, Hampshire Constabulary publicly apologized and referred the case to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), England and Wales’ police watchdog, for investigation. «I’m sorry that he was handcuffed and arrested in the moments before he lost consciousness,» Temporary Deputy Chief Constable Robert France said in a statement reported by Sky News.

Prosecutors told jurors Digwa stabbed Nowak multiple times using a 21-centimeter blade described in court as a Sikh kirpan-style weapon. Digwa claimed he acted in self-defense after being racially abused, but jurors rejected that argument and found him guilty of murder.

The case has since ignited fierce public debate online and in British media over whether police prioritized allegations of racism over basic investigative and medical procedures.

TEXAS PRESS CONFERENCE IN AUSTIN METCALF KILLING DEVOLVES INTO CHAOS OVER TRACK MEET STABBING

Handout photo issued by Hampshire Police of Vickrum Digwa who has been found guilty at Southampton Crown Court of the murder of university student Henry Nowak, who he stabbed to death with a Sikh kirpan ceremonial knife. Digwa told police a «wicked lie» that he was the victim of a racist attack after he stabbed finance student Henry Nowak, from Chafford Hundred, Essex, five times in the incident in Belmont Road, Southampton, on Dec. 3 2025. Issue date: Thursday, May 28, 2026.  (Press Association via AP Images)

Speaking on GB News on Friday, Reform UK Member of Parliament Robert Jenrick called for the release of body-worn camera footage if the Nowak family consents.

«The officers chose to prioritize the accusation of racial abuse over saving the life of this young man,» Jenrick said. «I think that was a terrible mistake.»

Jenrick also criticized what he described as a muted response from Britain’s political establishment compared to reactions following the 2020 death of George Floyd in the United States.

«The Prime Minister says absolutely nothing. The Home Secretary says absolutely nothing.»

The killing has also raised concerns about hostility toward Britain’s Sikh community, which Sikh organizations have sought to distance from the crime.

In a public statement issued following the verdict, Sikh community organizations condemned the killing and stressed that the case should not be viewed as representative of Sikhism.

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File of a police car in Derbyshire, England. (Derbyshire Constabulary via Facebook)

«Henry’s life has tragically been cut short by a moment of madness by an individual for which there can be no excuses,» the statement said.

The organizations also acknowledged that «the actions of police officers who handcuffed the victim just before he died» had intensified criticism of police and «unnecessarily stirred up community hatred.»

The statement further emphasized that legal protections allowing Sikhs in Britain to carry ceremonial kirpans for religious purposes do not apply if the blade is used violently.

«We understand in this case the weapon that may have been used was not the normal Kirpan worn by fully practicing Sikhs,» the statement read.

Mendoza stressed that Britain’s Sikh community broadly condemned the murder and supported the investigation.

«It’s legal for Sikhs to carry ceremonial knives in the U.K. but they are almost always tiny ones that religious authorities have ordained are sufficient to fulfil the obligation,» Mendoza told Fox News Digital. «He had one of those, plus his [8 inch] blade.»

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A member of the London Met Police stands guard outside Westminster Abbey.  (BEN STANSALL/AFP via Getty Images)

He also described Digwa as «a weapons nut,» referencing evidence presented during the trial that prosecutors said showed the defendant had a fascination with knives and weapons.

The IOPC investigation into the officers’ actions remains ongoing. Fox News Digital reached out to Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary for comment but did not receive a response before publication.