UPDATED: Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand calls on Al Franken to resign: 'Enough is enough'

[DonViejo]

Source: RawStory


BRAD REED
06 DEC 2017 AT 11:36 ET

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) on Wednesday said that it was time for her embattled colleague, Sen. Al Franken (D-MN), to resign.

In a Facebook post published on Wednesday, Gillibrand said that, while she had long considered Franken a friend and a first-rate colleague, she could no longer ignore the multiple women who have come out and accused him of groping them or making unwanted sexual advances toward them.

Gillibrand said that the flood of stories coming out about powerful men sexually harassing women mean it is time to start drawing lines and she simply could not exempt Franken from facing consequences.

We have to rise to the occasion, and not shrink away from it, even when its hard, especially when its hard, she said. I have spent a lot of time reflecting on Senator Frankens behavior. Enough is enough. The women who have come forward are brave and I believe them. While its true that his behavior is not the same as the criminal conduct alleged against Roy Moore, or Harvey Weinstein, or President Trump, it is still unquestionably wrong, and should not be tolerated.

Developing

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Read more: https://www.rawstory.com/2017/12/sen-kirsten-gillibrand-calls-on-al-franken-to-resign-enough-is-enough/

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UPDATE

Female senators call on Franken to resign

By ELANA SCHOR and SEUNG MIN KIM 12/06/2017 11:31 AM EST Updated 12/06/2017 11:44 AM EST

A growing number of female senators on Wednesday called on Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) to resign in the wake of multiple sexual misconduct allegations against him.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand was the first of Franken's fellow Senate Democrats to take that step and was quickly followed by Democratic Sens. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, Claire McCaskill of Missouri and Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire.

"While Senator Franken is entitled to have the Ethics Committee conclude its review, I believe it would be better for our country if he sent a clear message that any kind of mistreatment of women in our society isnt acceptable by stepping aside to let someone else serve," Gillibrand said in a Facebook post.

The calls came after POLITICO reported that a former Democratic congressional aide said he tried to forcibly kiss her after a taping of his radio show in 2006, three years before he became a U.S. senator. Franken, who had previously been accused by six other women of groping or trying to forcibly kiss them, denied the accusation. Hirono said she "struggled with this decision because hes been a good Senator and I consider him a friend. But that cannot excuse his behavior and his mistreatment of women."

McCaskill tweeted simply: "Al Franken should resign."

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https://www.politico.com/story/2017/12/06/gillibrand-calls-on-franken-to-resign-282112?loap_a1

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Senate Democratic women call on Franken to resign amid further allegations of sexual harassment

By Elise Viebeck December 6 at 11:44 AM
A group of Senate Democratic women called Wednesday for Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) to resign amid mounting allegations of sexual harassment.

In a lengthy statement posted on Facebook, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) said she was “shocked” and “disappointed” by several women’s allegations that Franken inappropriately touched them. She was joined by Sens. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), who made their views known on Twitter.

“While Senator Franken is entitled to have the Ethics Committee conclude its review, I believe it would be better for our country if he sent a clear message that any kind of mistreatment of women in our society isn’t acceptable by stepping aside to let someone else serve,” Gillibrand wrote.

If he resigns, Franken would be the second member of Congress to step aside amid a recent reckoning over sexual harassment on Capitol Hill. Facing multiple accusations of misconduct around female aides, Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) stepped down on Tuesday after more than half a century in Congress.

more
https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/senate-democratic-women-call-on-franken-to-resign-amid-further-allegations-of-sexual-harassment/2017/12/06/ddaf260e-daa2-11e7-a841-2066faf731ef_story.html