Any of these Democrats who now support Franken remaining in the Senate should never be believed again, and this should be thrown back at them every time they make a statement or promise regarding future policy or legislation.
"I consider Senator Franken a dear friend and greatly respect his accomplishments, but he has a higher obligation to his constituents and the Senate, and he should step down immediately," [Chuck] Schumer said in a statement that went out just before 5 p.m. ET.
New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand wrote: "While Senator Franken is entitled to have the Ethics Committee conclude its review, I believe it would be better for our country if he sent a clear message that any kind of mistreatment of women in our society isn't acceptable by stepping aside to let someone else serve."
“It’s time for him to resign,” Mr. [Dick] Durbin said. “It just seemed that the credible charges continued. I thought it might be an isolated incident or two. It seems to be that there was a pattern of conduct.”
“I’m shocked and appalled by Sen. Franken’s behavior,” [Patty] Murray said. “It’s clear to me that this has been a deeply harmful, persistent problem and a clear pattern over a long period of time. It’s time for him to step aside.”
Kamala Harris twitter: "Sexual harassment and misconduct should not be allowed by anyone and should not occur anywhere. I believe the best thing for Senator Franken to do is step down."
“Al Franken should resign,” [Claire McCaskill] tweeted.
"The right thing is for him to resign. We are now at a crossroads in American culture. And it is an important one. The way we treat women in our country has been abysmal in almost every way. We are finally addressing the issue of sexual harassment, and we need to get it right," [Bernie] Sanders said in a statement.
They should be called out as dishonest brokers in all future legislative negotiations. Make Democrats eat this every time.
-PJ
Nobody is changing a vote because of this. The lines are drawn. Us vs. them. Both sides can do pretty much anything they want without risking the vote of the faithful.