Posted on 11/16/2017 3:17:41 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
MANCHESTER, N.H. — Three of the four Democratic women who represent New Hampshire in Congress voiced support Thursday for an ethics probe into allegations that Minnesota Sen. Al Franken forcibly kissed and groped a woman more than a decade ago while they were on a USO tour of the Middle East.
The fourth delegation member, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, is a member of the Senate Ethics Committee, which may be conducting an investigation, and said she could not comment on “specific cases that may come before the committee.”
WMUR has learned that Shaheen, Sen. Maggie Hassan and U.S. Rep. Carol Shea-Porter received contributions from Franken’s political action committee in their most recent political campaigns.
According to the Center for Responsive Politics OpenSecrets.org website, Shaheen received $10,000 from the Midwest Values PAC in 2014, while in 2016 Hassan received $10,000 and Shea-Porter received $5,000.
The PAC says that in 2016, it gave more than $825,000 to Democrats "in Minnesota and around the country."
Hassan spokeswoman Ricki Eshman said, “The senator’s campaign committee is donating the amount of the contributions from Senator Franken’s PAC to the New Hampshire Women’s Foundation.”
Shea-Porter spokeswoman Marjorie Connolly said that because Shea-Porter is not seeking re-election, “Carol’s campaign account is not currently soliciting contributions, and there is no money left in the account from the last election.”
Shaheen spokesman Ryan Nickel said: “Senator Shaheen will defer from taking actions based on conduct that may be before the (ethics) committee in the future.”
In the latest development in a growing nationwide controversy over sexual harassment, radio newscaster and model Leeann Tweeden on Thursday released a photograph showing Franken touching her breasts as she was sleeping. Tweeden said Franken forcibly kissed her during a rehearsal for a USO show 11 years ago.
Franken apologized, issued his own call for an ethics probe of his conduct and promised to cooperate.
Franken, who was a comedian before he became a politician, said the photograph was meant as a joke, but he said he now realizes, “It isn’t funny. It’s completely inappropriate” – and he apologized.
“This type of conduct is completely unacceptable and must be taken extremely seriously,” Hassan said in a statement. “Actions like that weren't funny then and they aren't funny now, and I fully support an ethics committee investigation.”
U.S. Rep. Annie Kuster, who as recently as Wednesday discussed during a Capitol Hill news conference having been assaulted by a guest of a congressman she worked for about 40 years ago, also supported an ethics investigation into Franken’s behavior. She said she believes Tweeden’s allegations, “and they must be treated with the utmost seriousness.”
If the matter goes to the ethics committee, as it is expected to do, one of the six members who will be judging Franken is Shaheen. She issued a statement that did not directly address Franken, due to her likely upcoming role in judging his behavior.
“Across our country, thanks to the bravery of women and men who are speaking up, we are having a long overdue conversation that is shining a light on unacceptable behavior that has gone on for far too long,” she said.
“It is a problem that is all too prevalent across our culture. As a member of the Senate Ethics Committee, I cannot comment on specific cases that may come before the committee. However, I will continue to encourage women and men to share their experiences and call for Congress to not be part of the problem, but part of the solution.”
Shea-Porter said, “Right now our country is having a necessary and long overdue discussion about sexual harassment and assault. The picture of Sen. Franken is very disturbing, and it’s important for the Senate Ethics Committee to investigate and recommend appropriate consequences based on their findings.”
The developments – and the New Hampshire Congress members' reactions – sparked a partisan war of words between leaders of the two political parties.
New Hampshire Republican Party Chairman Jeanie Forrester demanded that Shaheen, Hassan, Shea-Porter and Kuster, as well as Executive Councilors Andru Volinsky and Chris Pappas, “and all Democrat leadership in New Hampshire,” call on Franken to resign.
The party released a video of Franken speaking in New Hampshire last November, with Hillary Clinton, Shaheen and Hassan among those applauding his support for Clinton and Hassan.
“Are they still clapping?” the NHGOP asked in the video.
The state Democratic Party called Franken’s behavior unacceptable and supported an ethics investigation “because sexual misconduct is disgraceful, regardless of party.”
The NHDP pointed out that Gov. Chris Sununu and Forrester have been silent on accusations of sexual harassment against Alabama U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore by a growing number of women and on President Donald Trump’s misogynistic comments about assaulting a woman, which surfaced while he was a candidate in the well-publicized "Access Hollywood" video.
“Stunning hypocrisy of @nhgop and its committees on display today as they are giddy about Franken news, yet have never ever once condemned Roy Moore, while Dems roundly condemning Franken,” Democratic National Committeewoman and former NHDP chair Kathy Sullivan posted on Twitter.
According to the Center for Responsive Politics OpenSecrets.org website, Shaheen received $10,000 from the Midwest Values PAC in 2014, while in 2016 Hassan received $10,000 and Shea-Porter received $5,000.
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Wow. With all that money coming from Franken; I hope at least they allowed him a few gratuitous gropes.
Fair is fair, right?
Hassan spokeswoman Ricki Eshman said, “The senator’s campaign committee is donating the amount of the contributions from Senator Franken’s PAC to the New Hampshire Women’s Foundation.”
Which will in turn be donated back.
See how that works?
L
No Republican would be afford the benefit of the doubt if they were to re-route tainted money to what they considered to be a better cause.
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