This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/23/us/politics/al-franken-kirsten-gillibrand.html

The article has changed 8 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 2 Version 3
Al Franken Has Regrets. Kirsten Gillibrand Does Not. Al Franken Has Regrets. Kirsten Gillibrand Does Not.
(about 3 hours later)
Al Franken is back in the news more than 18 months after he resigned from the Senate following a half-dozen allegations of sexual misconduct. And that means that Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, his onetime friend who was the first Democratic colleague to call for him to step down, is back in the news too. WASHINGTON — Senator Chuck Schumer, the minority leader, and several female senators aligned themselves with Senator Kirsten Gillibrand on Tuesday, standing by their calls for Al Franken to resign from the Senate more than 18 months ago following numerous allegations of sexual misconduct.
The two have been intertwined ever since, as Mr. Franken’s supporters and donors have blamed Ms. Gillibrand for his abrupt political demise and Ms. Gillibrand’s backers have expressed bewilderment that, somehow, a woman has been held responsible for a man’s alleged transgressions (Mr. Franken, a senator from Minnesota, was accused of unwanted touching and advances). Their statements came as a number of other lawmakers, including Senator Dick Durbin, the second most powerful Democrat in the Senate, said they had second thoughts about their role in pushing out Mr. Franken, a former senator from Minnesota.
The spark for the latest episode: Mr. Franken telling The New Yorker, in some of his first public comments since his resignation, that he “absolutely” regretted his decision to step down rather than fight the charges. While few Democrats are eager to revisit the politically painful situation surrounding Mr. Franken’s departure, particularly with a presidential primary under way, he is back in the news after telling The New Yorker, in a story published Monday that contained some of his first public comments since his resignation, that he “absolutely” regretted his decision to step down rather than fight the accusations.
But Ms. Gillibrand, who has predicated her presidential campaign on being an unyielding advocate for women, expressed no regrets on Monday. And that means that Ms. Gillibrand, his onetime friend and the first Democratic colleague to call for his resignation, is back in the news too. “There is no prize for someone who tries to hold accountable a powerful man who is good at his day job,” she said at a town-hall event Monday night, responding to Mr. Franken’s remarks. “But we should have the courage to do it anyway.”
“There is no prize for someone who tries to hold accountable a powerful man who is good at his day job,” she said at a town-hall event hosted by Mic and Bustle Digital Group in New York. “But we should have the courage to do it anyway.” Ms. Gillibrand, who has predicated her presidential campaign on being an unyielding advocate for women, expressed no regrets, and neither did some of the women who joined her in calling on Mr. Franken to step down.
On the campaign trail, Ms. Gillibrand, who has staked much of her bid on her feminist credentials, has faced periodic yet persistent questions over her decision to call for Mr. Franken to step down, starting with her first trip to Iowa in January. She has consistently said that while the decision to resign was Mr. Franken’s alone to make, the only decision she faced was whether or not to “remain silent.” “With the first accuser, we didn’t call for his resignation from the get go. It was a difficult decision,” Senator Mazie Hirono, Democrat of Hawaii, said on Tuesday. “But when the eighth person comes forward, there’s a pattern. Women have been putting up with this B.S. from time immortal. And we’re sick of it.”
Some prominent Democratic donors, including the billionaire investor George Soros, have refused to back her campaign, arguing that Ms. Gillibrand was more interested in scoring political points than determining the proper response to Mr. Franken. Senator Patty Murray, Democrat of Washington and the highest-ranking Democratic woman in Senate leadership, said she stood by her decision to call for Mr. Franken’s resignation. So did Senator Elizabeth Warren, Democrat of Massachusetts and a presidential candidate, through a spokeswoman.
In an interview in January, Ms. Gillibrand said of Mr. Franken, “If he wanted to stick it out for a six-month ethics investigation, God bless him; if he wanted to sue every woman who made an allegation against him, God bless him — those are his decisions. My decision was really simple. I was either going to stay silent and carry water for something I didn’t believe in or I was going to say what I believed: that it’s not O.K.” “Al Franken’s decision to step down was the right decision — for the good of the Senate and the good of the country,” said Mr. Schumer. “I regret losing him as a colleague, but given the circumstances, it was inevitable.”
Ms. Gillibrand was hardly alone in arguing Mr. Franken should step down, and her news release calling for his resignation came just minutes before similar calls from her colleagues. By the time Mr. Franken had announced his resignation in December 2017, three dozen Democratic senators — including fellow 2020 presidential candidates Michael Bennet, Cory Booker, Kamala Harris, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren — had called for him to step aside. The tipping point appeared to be an allegation from a former congressional aide of an unwanted advance by Mr. Franken. Senator Kamala Harris, another presidential candidate and one of seven female senators who met with Mr. Schumer in December 2017 to express their frustration with Mr. Franken, did not respond to a request for comment about her current stance.
Ms. Gillibrand on Monday cited a “double standard,” noting that female senators were pressed for comment about Mr. Franken far more frequently than their male colleagues. “Who is being held accountable for Al Franken’s decision to resign? Women senators, including me. It’s outrageous. It’s absurd,” she said. Mr. Franken’s supporters have long blamed Ms. Gillibrand for his abrupt political demise, while Ms. Gillibrand’s backers have expressed bewilderment that, somehow, a woman has been held responsible for a man’s alleged transgressions.
Ms. Gillibrand has argued that Senator Doug Jones, a Democrat, would not have won a special election in Alabama if Mr. Franken had not stepped aside and provided the party with a clear message against the Republican, Roy S. Moore, a state jurist accused of sexually assaulting teenage girls. Others in her party, including Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader who nudged Mr. Franken out of the Senate, voiced similar concerns. On the presidential campaign trail, it is Ms. Gillibrand who faces the bulk of criticism over the episode, even though she is one of six candidates who called for Mr. Franken’s resignation from their perches in the Senate.
In the New Yorker piece, Mr. Franken alleges that Mr. Schumer forced his resignation, saying that if he remained in the Senate, he could be censured and stripped of his posts on committees. A representative for Mr. Schumer did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The magazine quoted seven current and former Democratic senators who had demanded Mr. Franken’s resignation as saying that they regretted the decision. Ms. Gillibrand, who has staked much of her bid on her feminist credentials, has faced periodic yet persistent questions about Mr. Franken, starting with her first trip to Iowa in January. Some prominent Democratic donors, including the billionaire investor George Soros, have refused to back Ms. Gillibrand’s campaign over the issue.
Mr. Franken had appeared unhappy with this choice in real time. “There is some irony in the fact that I am leaving while a man who has bragged on tape about his history of sexual assault sits in the Oval Office,” he said in his farewell speech. The situation has become a perpetual distraction for her struggling campaign. The latest flare-up with Mr. Franken occurred as Ms. Gillibrand prepared to take a victory lap on an issue that has been a centerpiece of her political career: securing permanent funding for the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund, established to aid first responders, their families and those who became ill following the terrorist attacks.
Ms Gillibrand has consistently said that while the decision to resign was Mr. Franken’s alone to make, the only decision she faced was whether or not to “remain silent.”
In an interview in January, she said of Mr. Franken, “If he wanted to stick it out for a six-month ethics investigation, God bless him; if he wanted to sue every woman who made an allegation against him, God bless him — those are his decisions. My decision was really simple. I was either going to stay silent and carry water for something I didn’t believe in or I was going to say what I believed: that it’s not O.K.”
Jess Morales Rocketto, a Democratic activist, said Ms. Gillibrand should be celebrated for standing up for her principles.
“Kirsten Gillibrand is asked to explain why she stood with sexual harassment and assault survivors while there is very little to no interrogation for Al Franken why he perpetuated those crimes,” he said. “It should actually be a shining accomplishment for her. Its hard to be courageous against your friends.”
Ms. Gillibrand was hardly alone in arguing Mr. Franken should step down, and her news release calling for his resignation came just minutes before similar calls from her colleagues. By the time Mr. Franken stepped down in December 2017, three dozen Democratic senators — including fellow presidential candidates Michael Bennet, Cory Booker, Bernie Sanders, Ms. Harris and Ms. Warren — had called on him to do so. The tipping point appeared to be an allegation from a former congressional aide of an unwanted advance by Mr. Franken.
Mr. Durbin said Tuesday he wished the Senate “had given some time for due process.” But he added that Ms. Gillibrand doesn’t shoulder all the blame for Mr. Franken’s departure.
“There was a momentum behind it which was for a number of reasons unusual,” he said. “She might have been the first name on the list, but it was a strong list of Democratic senators.”
On Capitol Hill, few Democrats were eager to reopen a divisive political issue for the party.
“Why is that coming up now?” asked Senator Dianne Feinstein of California, before waving away any further questions.
“I think it was a very unfortunate time. I’ll leave it at that,” said Senator Debbie Stabenow of Michigan.
At the event on Monday, hosted by Mic and Bustle Digital Group, Ms. Gillibrand cited a “double standard,” noting that female senators were pressed for comment about Mr. Franken far more frequently than their male colleagues. “Who is being held accountable for Al Franken’s decision to resign? Women senators, including me. It’s outrageous. It’s absurd,” she said.
Ms. Gillibrand has argued that Senator Doug Jones, a Democrat, would not have won a special election in Alabama if Mr. Franken had not stepped aside and provided the party with a clear message against the Republican candidate, Roy S. Moore, a state jurist accused of sexually assaulting teenage girls. Others in her party, including Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader who nudged Mr. Franken out of the Senate, voiced similar concerns.
In the New Yorker piece, Mr. Franken alleges that Mr. Schumer forced him to leave, saying that if he refused to resign by 5 p.m. the entire Democratic caucus would demand he quit. People close to Mr. Schumer disputed that description of events, pointing to Mr. Franken’s failure to sufficiently address the allegations both publicly and privately within the Democratic caucus as creating a situation where the political pressure on him grew overwhelming. Mr. Schumer, they point out, was one of the last Democrats in the Senate to come out against Mr. Franken.
“Senator Schumer warned Senator Franken repeatedly that it was certain that there would be procedures used against him in the Senate, including the fact that Republicans would go to the floor and demand censure, call for stripping of his committee assignments and more,” said Justin Goodman, a spokesman for Mr. Schumer. “And given the number of senators who called for his resignation, such moves would have inevitably succeeded.”
The magazine quoted seven current and former Democratic senators — five men and two women — as saying they regretted calling for Mr. Franken to step down.
Mr. Franken had appeared unhappy with his choice in real time. “There is some irony in the fact that I am leaving while a man who has bragged on tape about his history of sexual assault sits in the Oval Office,” he said in his farewell speech.
In recent months, Mr. Franken has gingerly waded back into public life, after sinking into what he called a clinical depression. “I’m angry at my colleagues who did this. I think they were just trying to get past one bad news cycle,” he told The New Yorker.In recent months, Mr. Franken has gingerly waded back into public life, after sinking into what he called a clinical depression. “I’m angry at my colleagues who did this. I think they were just trying to get past one bad news cycle,” he told The New Yorker.
His resignation — and Ms. Gillibrand’s role — has divided Democrats, with some activists and donors, blaming Ms. Gillibrand for costing the party a rising star who was able to effectively take on President Trump. Wealthy contributors continue to refer to Mr. Franken as a factor in Ms. Gillibrand’s inability to raise money for her campaign and her lack of traction in the polls. His resignation has divided Democrats, with some activists and donors blaming Ms. Gillibrand for costing the party a rising star who was able to effectively take on President Trump. Wealthy contributors continue to refer to Mr. Franken as a factor in Ms. Gillibrand’s inability to raise money for her campaign and her lack of traction in the polls.
Lou Frillman, a Democratic fund-raiser in Minnesota who had supported Mr. Franken, said the party is now missing “a powerful voice” who had opposed the Trump administration at a moment of “national emergency.”Lou Frillman, a Democratic fund-raiser in Minnesota who had supported Mr. Franken, said the party is now missing “a powerful voice” who had opposed the Trump administration at a moment of “national emergency.”
“I’m not going to get into a debate about any of this with Senator Gillibrand. All I’m going to say is it seems to me that the idea of proportionality was never considered,” Mr. Frillman said of the accusations against Mr. Franken.“I’m not going to get into a debate about any of this with Senator Gillibrand. All I’m going to say is it seems to me that the idea of proportionality was never considered,” Mr. Frillman said of the accusations against Mr. Franken.
But in response to Mr. Franken’s regrets over resigning, Mr. Frillman said, “You’ve got to blame yourself. He’s the one who pulled the plug.” But in response to Mr. Franken’s regrets, Mr. Frillman said, “You’ve got to blame yourself. He’s the one who pulled the plug.”
Ms. Gillibrand made a similar point at her event on Monday. “Blaming a woman for the actions of a man: I don’t know. I don’t believe in it, ” she said. “I don’t think it’s right.”Ms. Gillibrand made a similar point at her event on Monday. “Blaming a woman for the actions of a man: I don’t know. I don’t believe in it, ” she said. “I don’t think it’s right.”
The latest flare-up with Mr. Franken broke as Ms. Gillibrand prepared to take a victory lap on an issue that’s been a centerpiece of her political career: securing permanent funding for the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund, established to aid first responders and those who became ill following the terrorist attacks.