House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., argued Thursday the decision by Rep. Ruben Kihuen, D-Nev., not to resign from Congress does not hurt Democratic messaging on sexual harassment.
Kihuen is currently facing two allegations of improper sexual conduct and is under fire from Pelosi and Rep. Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., to resign after three congressional lawmakers did so last week.
“No. I have asked for him to resign. No, it doesn’t at all,” Pelosi said at her weekly press conference. “I’ve asked for him to resign right from the start.”
Pelosi also pressed that Republican leaders have not asked members of their caucus to resign in the wake of allegations of sexual harassment.
“They haven’t asked anybody to resign on their side,” Pelosi said.
Thus far, two Democrats and one Republican have resigned stemming from allegations — former Sen. Al Franken, and former Reps. John Conyers and Trent Franks, who House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., urged to step down.
Rep. Blake Farenthold, R-Texas, is also expected not to seek re-election in 2018 after accusations of sexual misconduct and that he mistreated his staff.
