Three dozen women who worked with now Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) on Saturday Night Live released a statement saying that none of them ever experienced any inappropriate behavior.
Here is the statement:
If Franken’s Senate career does come to an end over this scandal, it won’t be the allegations that are his undoing. The picture of Franken groping his accuser is toxic, and it doesn’t need any words to go along with. It will be used as a devastating ad all by itself against Franken in his reelection campaign. It is the picture that his supporters are trying to counter.
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The volume of women who have worked with Franken to come forward and vouch for his character is an impressive defense. In every sexual harassment scandal, women have not come forward to defend the man who was accused. One gets the sense that Sen. Franken is not like Roy Moore, Donald Trump, or media figures like Glenn Thrush and Charlie Rose. Franken may have done something incredibly stupid and very wrong. To understand how wrong that picture is, ask yourself if you have ever groped someone while they were sleeping and had a picture taken?
Anyone who defends Franken and doesn’t acknowledge the problem that the picture presents is missing the point. Campaigns are won and won and lost, and political careers are made and broken in seconds. Supporters of Al Franken are building a defense against that picture and trying to create a compelling argument to Minnesota voters for why he should remain in the Senate.
So far, I would say that their strategy is working.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
