After a spate of so-called “#metoo” allegations of sexual harassment – along with photographic proof – former TV comic-turned-politician Senator Al Franken announced on the Senate floor last week that he would resign his office.
In his Senate speech, however, he did not say when he would resign, only that it would be in ‘the coming weeks.’
After Judge Roy Moore was defeated in Alabama in the special election to replace Senator Jeff Sessions by Democrat Doug Jones, speculation that Franken would ‘un-resign’ ran rampant across the media in what could only be described as a trial balloon to see if the idea could gain support from key Democrats and the public at large.
That possibility came crashing down on Wednesday as Franken announced he would be taking leave of his elected office on January 2.
The legal blog Legal Insurrestion has a comprehensive review on the details of the scandal that most likely marks the end of Senator Al Franken’s generally unremarkable political career:
Just breaking, Al Franken’s office has announced that his previously announced resignation will be effective January 2, 2018.
The snowball started rolling downhill for Franken when he was accused of groping and non-consensually tongue-kissing a woman on USO tour, as detailed in our post News Anchor accuses Al Franken of non-consensual kissing, groping in 2006.
The photo of the grope went viral, and will be the lasting image of Franken.
With the accusations against Roy Moore in the Alabama special election, and the old allegations against Donald Trump, this was really inconvenient timing for Democrats. That it came on the heels of the evidence of pervasive sexual harassment and assault in the liberal entertainment industry, Democrat politicians were caught between loyalty to a fellow progressive and their War on Women attacks on Republicans.
The initial reactions from Democrats and the media was to try to excuse Franken’s conduct, Democrats, Media: Franken Made a “Mistake,” We Need Him in the Senate. Women who worked with Franken at Saturday Night Live defended him.
Female Democrat like Elizabeth Warren and Kirsten Gillibrand were evasive as to whether he should resign.
But then additional accusers stepped forward.
Read the whole piece at LegalInsurrection.com.
