The movement originally gained widespread visibility in 2017 after allegations against high-profile figures sparked a wave of public reporting. The idea was that sexual misconduct is often underreported and that sharing experiences publicly can help expose patterns of abuse and drive accountability.
The public was told to believe all women and that the mere hint that a man had sexually abused someone was enough to derail any political aspirations and drive that man from polite society.
Now, as Platner's former partners accuse Maine's U.S. Senate candidate of sexual misconduct, abusive behavior, and sexualized communications, reporter Jodi Kantor tells CNN's "The Arena" none of that technically qualifies.
"The accusations against Graham Platner are not classic MeToo accusations," she said. "They're not about a boss and a young female employee being subjected to sexual advances."
A former girlfriend has alleged Platner engaged in physically aggressive behavior during arguments, including grabbing her hard enough to leave marks, pulling her by the wrist, and in one case restraining her in a room. Multiple women interviewed by major outlets described relationships they characterized as "toxic" or emotionally abusive, with claims of controlling or aggressive conduct in some cases.
Reports also allege Platner sent sexually explicit messages to multiple women while married, and the senatorial candidate has also faced backlash over old Reddit posts in which he made comments minimizing sexual assault victims' responsibility and discussing assault in a dismissive way.
Justine Brooke Murray of Media Research Center (MRC) says the entire Democratic platform is a grift; they never cared about women.
"If this were anyone on the Right … if it was a conservative being accused of all these things against women, each accuser would immediately be rewarded with their own 60-Minute segment," she submits.
She says Platner has downplayed the allegations while admitting he has a problem, telling MS Now and NPR he is seeking help.
"The first thing they did within five minutes of the allegations is have him on TV to talk about his struggle," Murray summarizes. "He actually said 'my struggle' twice."
In other words, the guy with the Nazi tattoo name-dropped "Mein Kampf," the autobiographical and ideological manifesto Adolph Hitler wrote in prison the 1920s that is essentially a blueprint of the beliefs that later shaped the Nazi Party.
