On Thursday’s broadcast of “CNN News Central,” Rep. Gabe Amo (D-RI) said that “Graham Platner was a series of red flags. What we heard earlier this week was not new.”

Amo said, “Look, the most important takeaways for me now are: One, I stand with those who made very serious allegations. We have to believe those victims and survivors. That’s important. The second thing is, we have to be very clear that the mission is stopping Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) from continuing to be a rubber stamp for Donald Trump’s agenda. Look, she was the deciding vote to get Brett Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court. She voted for the big, ugly law that cut billions from our healthcare system, from food assistance, and is supporting ICE’s terror in communities across this country. So we’ve got to be very focused on the mission. And, ultimately, we have to utilize the voice of voters, the voice of the people of Maine, who are now the most central and important thing in this process, because they deserve a Democratic nominee who stops Susan Collins from continuing to be a rubber stamp for the Trump agenda.”

Co-host John Berman then asked, “You have to do a better job vetting candidates?”

Amo responded, “Look, I think there’s a whole process, and I think the fact of the matter is, Graham Platner was a series of red flags. What we heard earlier this week was not new. The challenge, ultimately, becomes having a process that is fully transparent, where candidates — where the whole process is one that gives voters the most information to move forward so that we can do the work of having the best people in office. And, especially right now, as we see the havoc caused by the Trump administration, not having a senator from Maine who is going to continue to support all of that chaos.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett