In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) reflected back on her handling of the sexual harassment allegations against her ex-Senate colleague, Al Franken.
Klobuchar, now a presidential candidate, said it “really wasn’t that close a call” when she decided not to speak out against Franken, unlike many of her female colleagues.
“We had long talks during that time period, including that day. And I always believed—maybe naively, given what happened—that it would go through the ethics committee. I still believe that was the right thing,” she said. “For some of these things, there should be due process, and I felt like this was one of them.”
The three-term Minnesota senator also opened up on her viral exchange with Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearings, which many now describe as her ticket to the spotlight.
“I really just wanted to get him on the record and answer the question, as opposed to just rage,” Klobuchar said, referencing when she asked Kavanaugh if he’d ever blacked out while drinking.
“The click that went on in my mind was, ‘I am not going down there with you. I am going to take the keys away from you.’ I literally had to do that with my dad,” said Klobuchar, who grew up with an alcoholic father. “You have to be the grown-up in the room.”
She also touched on the recent stories from Buzzfeed News, Huffington Post, and The New York Times that alleged a pattern of mistreatment of her Senate staff.
“I’m incredibly proud of the work our staff has done and I would not be here without amazing staff,” she said. “I know I can be tough, I know I can push people too hard, and I also know I can do better—and I will.”
The full interview, part of Rolling Stone’s “Women Shaping the Future” issue, can be read here.
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Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of Battleground State News and The Minnesota Sun. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Background Photo “White House” by Cezary p. CC BY 1.0.
