When Sen. Al Franken announced his resignation amid sexual misconduct allegations Thursday the Minnesota Democrat emphasized what he and all Democrats consider a glaring irony: A Republican accused of molesting underage girls is on the verge of being elected to the Senate and President Trump sits in the White House, accused of sexually harassing or assaulting 19 women.
In pressuring Franken and Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., another accused of sexual harassment, to step aside, Democrats outflanked the Republican Party, which this week reaffirmed support for Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore. Democrats signaled they intend to use Moore, and more significantly, Trump’s past with women, to defrock the GOP in 2018.
“Those who trash legitimate accusers, it could be the president, it could be Roy Moore, it could be anybody, there is going to be, and needs to be, a price to be paid for it,” Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., told reporters Thursday. “Now it’s clear that behavior of this kind before you take office is something that the body should take seriously and it should be even-handed if it’s a Democrat or a Republican.”
Franken is beloved by his colleagues. Conyers, Congress’ longest-serving member, is a civil rights icon. But, with the momentum behind the “Me Too” movement gaining steam, Democrats were forced to cut ties, showing they’re serious about a “zero-tolerance” policy. And what, at first, appeared a rejection of Moore by Republicans, changed in the last week when Trump and the Republican National Committee rushed to his defense and poured money into his campaign. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., also appeared to walk back his criticism of Moore and Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, backed Trump’s endorsement saying, “Many of the things that [Moore] allegedly did were decades ago.”
If Moore, accused of preying on young girls, is elected, Democrats will hammer Republicans unceasingly. Even if he’s not, Democrats made clear their intent to raise anew the several allegations of sexual misconduct leveled against Trump before the 2016 election in a bid to make Republicans answer on this politically super-charged issue.
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01.22.2025