A liberal New York Times columnist who called on U.S. Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., to resign said she has “second thoughts” and she now feels conflicted over whether he should leave the Senate.
The writer, Michelle Goldberg, said in a column published Monday night the politics of the situation have taken a heavier weight in her assessment of the allegations of sexual misconduct against Franken.
“Almost as soon as it was published I started having second thoughts,” Goldberg said of a column she wrote last week. “I spent all weekend feeling guilty that I’d called for the sacrifice of an otherwise decent man to make a political point.”
KABC radio news anchor Leeann Tweeden accused Franken last week of kissing her against her will in 2006 and she released a photo that showed Franken with his hands over her breasts while she was asleep.
Franken has apologized for the photo though he disputed the details about the alleged kissing.
Goldberg wrote Friday, “I would mourn Franken’s departure from the Senate, but I think he should go…” but in her new column, she said she isn’t so sure.
“[E]ven as I made the case for resignation, I was relieved that it seemed as if Franken might stick around, because I adore him as a public figure,” she wrote. “It’s easy to condemn morally worthless men like [President] Trump; it’s much harder to figure out what should happen to men who make valuable political and cultural contributions, and whose alleged misdeeds fall far short of criminal.”
Franken’s office has said he does not plan to resign.
