Kirsten Gillibrand Says She Misses Al Franken

EXCERPT:

GILLIBRAND: "And frankly, we all miss him. He was someone who really served us well on the Judiciary Committee and was a strong senator, but the truth is he had eight credible allegations against him for groping and forcible kissing. And they were corroborated at the time they happened, they were investigated by the press, and they were found to be credible by multiple sources. Two of those allegations were since he was a senator. And so, for me and other members of Congress, particularly the women in the Senate, we couldn't carry his water any farther. We couldn't stay silent and we couldn't defend him. I couldn't defend him. I had led the issues on ending sexual violence in the military, ending sexual harassment and sexual assault on college campuses. I just helped pass a bill unanimously with Ted Cruz to change how we deal with sexual harassment in the House and Senate. So I couldn't defend him, so I chose to say that. I chose to say it's not okay for me and I don't know how I can serve given these allegations. Now, of course he had every right to stick it out and go to his Ethics Committee investigation. That might have taken another six months, nine months. Of course he had that right. And of course he had the right to sue all the women who accused him, all his rights. He chose to resign. That was his decision and his decision alone. No member of Congress, no other senator can make another senator resign. We only asked, 'What do you think? Do you think this is okay? Do you think this is defensible?' And I chose along with, I don't know, maybe 30 other senators to say it's not okay. I'm also a mother of sons, and this is what really mattered the most."