Posted on 01/30/2018 3:36:33 AM PST by MarvinStinson
Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.) on Monday hesitated to call out Hillary Clinton for ignoring recommendations to fire a top adviser accused of sexual harassment moments before saying "no one is above criticism" when it comes to sexual misconduct as she castigated President Donald Trump and former Sen. Al Franken (D., Minn.) for alleged misconduct.
Gillibrand, whose named has been floated as a potential 2020 presidential candidate, appeared on ABC's "The View" to discuss her efforts "leading the charge to take on sexual misconduct in Washington, D.C."
The senator first called on national Republicans to return any campaign donations they received from Steve Wynn, a Las Vegas casino magnate and former finance chairman of the Republican National Committee. Wynn resigned from his post with the RNC over the weekend after the Wall Street Journal reported numerous allegations of sexual assault and misconduct against him.
"The near silence is deafening coming from the Republicans. I really believe this should not be about any one party; it should not be partisan," Gillibrand said. "This kind of behavior is not OK, it is not acceptable. We need accountability … I think Republicans need to speak out … and hold their own accountable."
Wynn has denied the allegations levied against him.
Co-host Joy Behar then pressed Gillibrand on her efforts to pressure Franken to resign after several women accused him of groping or kissing them without their consent. Franken ultimately resigned from the Senate earlier this month.
"I know that you led the charge to get Al Franken to resign from the Senate," Behar said to Gillibrand. "I just thought that was unfair to make him an example when the president of the United States has so many sexual harassment allegations against him and I don't see him going anywhere."
"Trump should resign … he should be held accountable," Gillibrand said. "Again, this shouldn't be a partisan issue."
"But why'd you push Franken out?" Behar asked. "How about a hearing first?"
"He's entitled to a hearing, he is; he isn't entitled to my silence, Joy," Gillibrand responded. "What was alleged about Al Franken is very different from than what is alleged about Steve Wynn, about President Trump … what was alleged about Roy Moore."
"We should be holding our leaders to a higher standard," Gillibrand added.
Meghan McCain asked Gillibrand why it took her almost 20 years to rebuke former President Bill Clinton for his affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky in the 1990s. Last year, Gillibrand said that she believes Clinton should have resigned over the affair.
"I think this moment of time we're in is very different. I don't think we had the same conversation back then, the same lens, we didn't hold people accountable the same way that this moment is demanding today," Gillibrand said. "Today we are having a very different conversation, and there is a moment in time where we can do the right thing or we can fixate on one president."
"Do you regret campaigning with him, though?" McCain asked.
"It's not about any one president; it's not about anyone industry," Gillibrand responded.
McCain then shifted the conversation to a new report, published by the New York Times on Friday, that Clinton ignored the advice of her 2008 presidential campaign manager to fire one of her senior advisers, who was accused of repeatedly sexually harassing a younger female campaign staffer.
"You are a longtime friend of Hillary Clinton and consider her a mentor. Do you think her response this weekend was appropriate?" McCain asked.
"As you know, I think these things have to be dealt with whether you're a Democrat or Republican; you need transparency and accountability," Gillibrand said. "And no one is above criticism. In that case, I don't know all the details; I don't know if the punishment she chose was the correct one."
According to the Times report, Clinton did not fire her faith adviser, Burns Strider, instead ordering him to undergo counseling and docking several weeks of his pay.
On Friday night, Clinton responded to the report.
"A story appeared today about something that happened in 2008. I was dismayed when it occurred, but was heartened the young woman came forward, was heard, and had her concerns taken seriously and addressed," Clinton tweeted. "I called her today to tell her how proud I am of her and to make sure she knows what all women should: we deserve to be heard."
The theme of the SOTU should be Democrat party hypocrites.
(No I've not played it)
Do as I say, not as I do.
Ole Billy Bob set the precedent (and far as I know, Trump doesn’t have such legit accusations against him). The voters will be the ones to decide if he steps down come 2020.
It’s common knowledge DjT was a bit of a NY cad (and braggadocio) in his previous “jet setting” phase. We don’t care.
read it and weep for the music scene:
30 Jan: Daily Mail: And the award for most sexist, misogynist bunch of vile hypocrites goes to… the Grammys!
By Piers Morgan
Because let’s be perfectly frank: it’s the single most sexist, misogynist and abusive awards show of them all, celebrating many of the most sexist, misogynist and abusive people in an amoral industry of spectacular proportions.
If you thought Hollywood’s bad, it’s got nothing on the record business, particularly in the worlds of hip-hop and rap...
Towards the end of the show, Hillary Clinton, the High Priestess of Hypocrisy, popped up to read Trump-mocking extracts from Michael Wolff’s book Fire and Fury.
She received wild applause.
It seemed perfectly fitting that the liberal music world’s heroine on a night of tearful endorsements about abuse of power and sexual harassment, should be someone who it emerged this week had protected a campaign advisor’s job during the 2008 presidential race after he was accused of…. sexual harassment.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5325859/PIERS-MORGAN-Grammys-win-vile-sexist-misogynist-hypocrite.html
In 2020, some Dem candidate will break ranks and go Kruschev, giving his own his own “On the Cult of Personality and Its Consequences” speech. The Democrat Party still has to go through Declintonization.
“Gillibrand Calls Out Trump Allegations; Won’t Criticize Clinton Refusal to Fire Alleged Harasser”
No reasonable person (who knows what the word “Arkancide” means) would criticize her majesty.
The eastern “Barbara Boxer”. And just as stupid.
My point exactly. For all the equine manure they’ve thrown at this guy, it’s ultimately going to come down to his performance as Pres in a few years. Meanwhile, all this wolf crying is revealing their true colors to even the most blind of Voters.
Really?
How about having the theme of tonight's SOTU Making America Great Again?
It is time to call out the Democrats and start the arrests.
No doubt, the SOTU is for something else.
It’s to draw the country together and provide leadership.
Sorry, we are at no shooting civil war. The colleges, Soros, the Democrats, the deep state all are trying to kill us. It can be stopped without a shot but it is time to draw the lines and fight.
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