Michael Tomasky: Senator Al Frankens Resignation Is Deeply Unfair

[Ghost Owl]

61. He DID publicly challenge most of the accusations

but he did so WITHOUT attacking his accusers. Which is how a person SHOULD react, it's the polite and decent thing to do, but we are so unused to it, that many saw it as him not defending himself.

With the exception of the photograph, Franken admitted to nothing. He did apologize if he ever made anyone uncomfortable or crossed a line, but he didn't reference any particular event or admit to anything. Just acknowledged the fact that sometimes, because we all come from different background and have different expectations and comfort levels of physical contact and humor, that sometimes we can make others uncomfortable without doing anything wrong or malicious.

Franken admitted to the photo, said it was wrong and he crossed a line. He said the kiss did not happen as she described (and she was proven to be factually wrong about some aspects of it, like Franken did not write the skit just to kiss HER, he wrote it years earlier with another female partner), and a lot of her additional details have been proven inaccurate (like the whole thing about avoiding him for years after; she went to a dinner in his honor in 2009). He said he doesn't remember Menz and Kemplin happening the way they described (and I'm sorry, but I have severe doubts about the accuracy of Kemplin's story, she said he grabbed her breast in front of her unit and a cameraman for 5-10 seconds, which is a LOT longer than people think, and nobody saw anything, including the photographer looking right at them?) but apologized if he offended them (again, that's not NOT challenging the accusations). He was sort of vague on the denials of the anonymous accusers, but he said that was because they're anonymous, he can't get more specific than "I don't remember that" if he doesn't know WHO they're talking about. He flat-out denied asking the anonymous HuffPost girl to go the bathroom with him, and the entire Politico story of "It's my right as an entertainer". The only story he never commented on was the Jezebel accuser who said she thought he might kiss her on the mouth as a hello, but then he didn't; but what the hell would he say to that anyway, that's not even an accusation, just the Anonymous Woman's thought process.

(I don't know if he ever commented on Dupuy, but 'touched her waist when posing for a selfie pic' doesn't qualify as groping.)