In a preview of Politico’s “Off Message” podcast published Monday, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) called on Sen. Al Franken (D-MN), who announced his resignation from the U.S. Senate in a floor speech earlier this month, to reverse that decision.
Manchin ripped members of his party, calling it “hypocrisy at the highest level” to attack Franken.
“What they did to Al was atrocious, the Democrats,” Manchin said. “The most hypocritical thing I’ve ever seen done to a human being — and then have enough guts to sit on the floor, watch him give his speech and go over and hug him? That’s hypocrisy at the highest level I’ve ever seen in my life. Made me sick.”
Manchin maintained Franken should face a process through the Ethics Committee, and recant his decision to resign until that process has been completed.
“Here’s a man, that all he said — ‘Take me through the Ethics Committee,” he continued. “I will live by whatever decision, and I will walk away thinking about this opportunity I’ve had while I was here. But you find out if I’m a predator. You find out if my actions — you find out if all the people I’ve worked with all my life.'”
“I hope he doesn’t [resign],” Manchin added. “I hope they have enough guts — if they had enough guts, enough conscience and enough heart to say, ‘Al, we made a mistake asking prematurely for you to leave.’ At least go through and [say], ‘Al, would you go through a rigorous examination, an Ethics investigation and live by whatever comes out. And then, we’ll vote on you, Al. That’s what they should do. That’s the human and decent thing to do. If they have any decency, they do that. Everyone that of them signed for him to go out, including Chuck Schumer, would do that.”
Follow Jeff Poor on Twitter @jeff_poor
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