Let me state at the onset that I had some issues with Franken’s response to the allegations against him. If there was any truth at all to the accusations leveled by the women subsequent to the original accuser (whom I, personally, don’t credit at all) he should have been more fulsome in his apologies… nothing worse than a begrudging apology…
On the other hand if there was no truth to the accusations, and he should have been in a position to know, he should have said so.
And damn the fallout.
In any case I feel that Franken’s wish to have the matter investigated should have been honored.
And, apparently prominent Democratic donor Susie Tompkins Buell agrees.
“A prominent donor to the Democratic Party says she is considering withdrawing support for senators who urged their colleague Al Franken to resign after he was accused of sexual misconduct.
The donor, Susie Tompkins Buell, has been one of the Democratic Party’s most generous supporters for decades. In particular, she has been a champion of female politicians, including Senators Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Maria Cantwell of Washington….
...Ms. Buell said in a text message on Saturday that withdrawing support from the senators who called for his resignation was “an option” she was considering.
“In my gut they moved too fast,” she wrote, adding that Mr. Franken “was never given his chance to tell his side of the story.”
“For me this is dangerous and wrong,” she added. “I am a big believer in helping more women into the political system but this has given me an opportunity to rethink of how I can best help my party.”
Ms. Buell is near the top of the food chain as Democratic donors go and is often described as HRC’s “best friend”.
Perhaps the Senators who plotted Franken’s downfall for him, 2020 hopefuls among them, should have thought to consult her before they acted.