Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) has been accused of sexual misconduct by eight women, and now more than 30 of his Senate colleagues have called for him to resign. He'll be making an "announcement" on the Senate floor at 11:45 a.m. that many are suspecting may be his resignation.
Anyhow, ahead of this announcement, there have been some scorching takes from some of Franken's celebrity friends: namely, Leann Tweeden, Franken's first accuser, isn't credible because of her political beliefs.
Here's Tom Arnold, with two flaming hot takes:
I’m disappointed with my friend Leeann Tweedon. Her partner at KABC John Phillips is a Roger Stone pal & they coached her for weeks to bring Al Franken down. I’d hoped she’d use her voice to speak out for all women again predators like Roy Moore & Donald Trump but she’s a birther
— Tom Arnold (@TomArnold) December 7, 2017
To put a button on this the only truth about my old pal Leeann Tweeden’s Al Franken story was the picture. The rest was created by KABC colleague & fellow Trump supporter John Phillips & his bud Roger Stone who coached Leeann for weeks to take Al down. Mission accomplished.
— Tom Arnold (@TomArnold) December 7, 2017
And Rosie O'Donnell, the former "Queen of Nice," who chimed in with her own, vaguely slut-shaming take:
fuck leeann and her naked ambition
— ROSIE (@Rosie) December 7, 2017
stay on al -
there is a difference
between u and them
as annie lennnox said
"take this overcoat of shame - it never did belong to me"
fight 4 whats right
(Tweeden has in the past modeled for Playboy.)
Regardless of Tweeden's past career moves (which were her own choices made with her own agency), the fact remains that she did not want to kiss Franken and she definitely did not want him to take a picture with him groping her breasts. Nobody, whether they be a Republican, Communist, Democrat, or a member of the Rainbow Ethiopia Party, deserves that.
Franken issued an apology for the photo, and said he had different memories of the kissing incident. He called for an ethics investigation.
Also, Tweeden is not the only person to come out and accuse Franken of predatory behavior. Seven other women have come forward since Tweeden shared her #MeToo story.
They are:
1. Lindsay Menz, who says Franken groped her at the Minnesota State Fair in 2010. Menz describes herself as "politically neutral" and voted for Democrat Amy Klochubar in the past as well as President Donald Trump.
2. An anonymous woman who was groped at an event in 2007 sponsored by the Minnesota Women's Political Caucus, which seeks to elect pro-choice women. She describes herself as a "liberal person" who voted for him.
3. Another anonymous woman who was groped at a 2008 Democratic Party fundraiser in Minneapolis. She was a Franken supporter.
4. Stephanie Kemlin, an army veteran who says Franken cupped her breast in 2003 when she was deployed in Kuwait.
5. An unnamed elected official from New England, who says Franken forced himself on her when she appeared on a taping of his Air America show.
6. An unnamed former Democratic congressional aide, who said Franken tried to forcibly kiss her in 2006 when her boss appeared on his radio show. Franken told her it was his "right as an entertainer."
7. Tina Dupuy, who wrote on Wednesday that she was groped during an inauguration party in 2009. Dupuy is a Democrat.
For those of you keeping score at home, of the eight women who have accused Franken, one is explicitly a Republican, one is "politically neutral," one has not revealed her political beliefs (but was a fan of Franken's comedy), and five are either Democrats or progressives.
If this were strictly a partisan witch hunt, it's hard to believe that five liberals (including at least one who still voted for him after the groping incident) would be willing to come forward. Also, nobody deserves to be groped by anybody.
The allegations against Franken are disturbing. It's equally bad that people are attempting to silence his accusers over their politics.