In the wake of Senator Al Franken’s (D-MN) “resignation,” many conservatives feared a play against President Trump, with Franken as the sacrificial lamb the Democrats could point to as an object lesson. As it turns out, those concerns were evidently justified. Several members of Congress sporting Ds after their names – including fellow New Yorker, Kirsten Gillibrand – quickly called for Donald Trump to resign due to allegations of sexual misconduct.
As is his wont, the president fired back with a tweet. And all Hell broke loose.
Sexism – sexism everywhere!
Sen. Gillibrand quickly denounced the president’s tweet, calling it a “sexist smear.” She told reporters that the president was attempting to silence her voice, but that she would not be silenced. She averred that the women who have brought allegations against the president and the millions of women who’ve been “out there” protesting him since inauguration wouldn’t be silenced either.
Early this morning, the president tweeted:
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/940567812053053441
So, what do we have here? Is it insulting? Sure. He calls her a lightweight and a flunky for Chuck Schumer. It even says she begged for campaign contributions from him not that long ago, and, as a parenthetical aside, that she would do anything for them. Is it a sexist slur, an allegation of sexual misconduct on her part, or a fresh example of presidential sexual harassment? That’s a stretch. Most likely, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was right in today’s press conference. “He’s not alleging anything,” she said. Mrs. Sanders then went on to point out that the president has “used that same language many times in reference to men.”
The Media Gone Mad
It’s understandable that some might read this tweet and wonder what, precisely, the president’s parenthetical means. One could infer that the president might have intended that interpretation, maybe. But to assume – then publicly announce – that he actually meant to accuse her of prostitution by way of offering sexual favors in return for campaign contributions is a bit extreme. Far more likely, it’s just the president being his usual, vague self on Twitter. Let’s face it, anyone who claims to always know what he’s talking about is probably full of it. So of course, the media at large has gobbled it up, granting across the board coverage to the “seemingly suggestive” tweet and Gillibrand’s response.
Democrats Even Screw Up Human Sacrifices
And the left side of the Senate has jumped right in with them, as Democratic lawmakers across the nation join in the call for President Trump to step down. They point to Senator Al Franken from what they sure seem to believe is the moral high ground. “Look,” they say, “we demanded that Franken step down, and he did. Now it’s your turn.”
Let’s be clear: Allegations do not guarantee guilt. The only people who should step down from their positions in the government after such accusations are those who are actually guilty – or at least, are found guilty. If Senator Franken is indeed innocent – unlikely as that may seem given the photographic evidence – he has no obligation to resign. However, he can, if he so chooses. That’s what makes character assassination attempts like these so effective. It’s often easier to surrender and fade as far into obscurity as possible than to fight and win against allegations of sexual misconduct. But it isn’t a requirement.
Of course, Franken didn’t resign, now did he? He gets to hang around and weigh in on important Congressional decisions for the foreseeable future.
With Franken’s continued denial of guilt and his promise to resign eventually, Democrats leave the president an amusing way out of their trap – should he, for some reason, simply not choose to ignore them. He can always take the “Franken Option” and continue to deny his guilt and promise to resign as soon as he’s done making America great again!
Gillibrand Calls for an Illegitimate Investigation
Surprise, surprise, a Democrat comes up with another idea to waste more money. Senator Gillibrand calls on Congress to investigate these allegations of sexual misconduct against Donald Trump. Were they accusations of actual presidential abuses, that might be a little more justifiable. As it stands, these aren’t new allegations. They’re the same accusations that plagued his campaign, dredged back up by a group funded largely by the very anti-Trump George Soros.
Why should our lawmakers waste time and tax dollars investigating claims that were brought before Trump was elected president, regarding actions that allegedly occurred years ago? Any charges of actual rape or sexual assault by a private citizen should be investigated by the police, not Congress.
Just because Trump’s tweet insults and embarrasses Gillibrand doesn’t make it sexist. It also doesn’t validate the claims of sexual misconduct against him. And it certainly doesn’t mean he should step down or be investigated by Congress. Senator Gillibrand played with fire when she called for Trump to resign, and she had to know that. She has no one to blame but herself for getting burned.
