New York senator and Democratic presidential candidate Kirsten Gillibrand rejected the notion that she should not have called for the resignation of former Minnesota Sen. Al Franken in early 2018, following a Monday report.
During an event on Monday evening, Gillibrand addressed a report from the New Yorker that named her as a primary conduit at the end of Franken’s time in the Senate following allegations of sexual misconduct. Gillibrand, who has advocated for “zero-tolerance” toward sexual misconduct, was the first lawmaker to come forward and call for Franken’s resignation.
The New Yorker article details seven other lawmakers who expressed regret in their early condemnation of Franken, ahead of hearing whether or not he was actually guilty of what he was accused of. Gillibrand, however, refused to back down from her original position.
“It’s his decision and his alone whether to wait out his ethics committee hearing, whether to wait for his next election,” she said of Franken. “The decision I made was whether or not to carry his water and stay silent. And given 8 allegations, two since he was senator, and the eighth one being a congressional staffer, I couldn’t stay silent.”
Franken, 68, was a highly regarded Democratic senator and former comedian who was outspoken in his criticism of President Trump. He has expressed regret that he resigned so quickly in the face of sexual misconduct allegations.
Gillibrand further said of her decision to call for Franken’s resignation, “There is no prize for someone who tries to hold accountable a powerful man who is good at his day job. But we should have the courage to do it anyway. So no. I do not have any regrets … I’d do it again today. If a few wealthy donors are angry about that, it’s on them.”
