Five Democrat lawmakers and candidates helped Mike Franken fund his U.S. Senate campaign in Iowa, where his former campaign manager accused him of making “several” unwanted advances toward women, including herself.
Since the first report of the allegations, Franken has denied the claims as “baseless” and said it “didn’t happen.”
1. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ)
Booker’s joint fundraising committee, Booker Senate Victory, donated $5,000 to Iowa’s Democrat Senate hopeful.
In 2017, the New Jersey Democrat called for then-Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) to resign after reports surfaced that he “cornered an unnamed Democratic congressional aide in 2006 and forcibly tried to kiss her.”
“These courageous women have come forward, and I think clearly this last revelation adds to what seems to be a pattern here,” Booker told multiple media outlets at the time. “That was enough to make me come to the conclusion… it is right that he should step down at this point.”
2. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA)
The leadership PAC, Common Ground PAC, associated with Kaine, donated $5,000 to Iowa’s Democrat Senate hopeful.
Kaine also made a statement about Franken in 2017 following a wave of accusations of sexual misconduct and called for him to resign.
He stated:
I told Senator Franken yesterday I believed he needed to step aside because the behavior described by multiple women is just wrong. Senator Franken made the right decision today, but the Senate has more work to do — starting with releasing information about claims and settlements against Senators and their staffs, and fixing broken policies to foster safe work environments and ensure harassers are held accountable for their actions.
3. Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN)
The leadership PAC, Velvet Hammer PAC, associated with Smith, donated $2,500 to Iowa’s Democrat Senate hopeful.
Smith was appointed in 2018 to replace Al Franken after he resigned amidst accusations of sexual misconduct. Before being appointed, she was lieutenant governor of Minnesota. When appointed, she stated, “Though I never anticipated this moment, I am resolved to do everything I can to move Minnesota forward, and I will be a fierce advocate.”
While it does not appear she made a statement regarding Al Franken at the time, she previously served as vice president of external affairs at Planned Parenthood of Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota.
4. Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ)
The leadership PAC, Liftoff PAC, associated with Kelly, donated $2,500 to Iowa’s Democrat Senate hopeful.
Last year, after one of Kelly’s top allies in the Arizona state legislature was charged with seven child sex crimes, he called for his resignation.
The Washington Free Beacon reported:
Maricopa County police arrested Democratic state senator Tony Navarrete on Thursday, charging the Phoenix lawmaker with seven felonies stemming from alleged child molestation. Navarrete backed Kelly’s Senate campaign just one month after its launch in February 2019, earning the Democrat a spot on Kelly’s “early endorsement list.” Kelly called on Navarrete to resign via Twitter after an inquiry from the Washington Free Beacon.
“The charges against Senator Navarrete are serious and disturbing,” Kelly tweeted at the time. “The justice system must uncover all of the facts and enforce the law. It has been days now since these charges came to light, and Senator Navarrete should resign immediately.”
5. Former Disgraced Sen. Al Franken (D-MN)
The leadership PAC, Midwest Values PAC, associated with Al Franken, donated $5,000 to Iowa’s Democrat Senate hopeful.
After being elected to the Senate in 2008, he resigned from his post in 2017 after a wave of accusations of sexual misconduct from women. In 2017, NPR wrote:
Multiple women have accused Franken of unwanted sexual conduct, including groping and forced kissing. His resignation comes amid a raft of allegations of misconduct against powerful men, many of whom have faced serious consequences.
A Senate ethics investigation of Franken is underway. Franken has apologized, while also saying that his memory of events differs from what many women describe. He also defended his record as a champion for women.
On Monday, Mike Franken — who is 64 years old, married, and has two kids — was accused by his former campaign manager, Kimberley Strope-Boggus, in an unearthed police report, of “grabb[ing] the collar of the vest she was wearing and kissed her on her mouth” before she could “pull away” when they met for drinks at a bar in Des Moines on March 18.
Strope-Boggus described Franken as “old school,” having “1950s interactions with women,” which was “something that he has done to several other women.”
After his first campaign event on Monday, following the bombshell report, he dismissed the former campaign manager’s allegations as “baseless,” saying it “didn’t happen.” Still, when asked if the two met, he stated they “had a glass of beer.”
The campaign event Franken was attending was also supposed to be joined by Democrat Liz Mathis, running against Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA) in the Second Congressional District, and Democrat Christina Bohannan running against Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA) in the First Congressional District. Franken’s campaign claimed that the other Democrats had a “scheduling conflict.”
Bohannan’s campaign has still not made a public statement on Franken’s allegations or why she missed the event on Monday. However, Mathis’ claimed she had “another engagement” that “bumped” Franken. She added that “investigators found that no criminal act occurred, and the case was closed after being deemed unfounded by police.”
Hinson, whom Mathis is running against, quickly denounced Franken and encouraged the Democrat to do the same instead of conveniently using a “scheduling conflict” to not be seen publicly with the Senate hopeful.
“Sexual assault is always unacceptable, and the allegations against Admiral Mike Franken are deeply troubling,” Hinson said. “A ‘scheduling conflict’ is no substitute for denouncing sexual assault allegations, and State Senator Liz Mathis must disavow Mike Franken immediately.”
Jacob Bliss is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at jbliss@breitbart.com or follow him on Twitter @JacobMBliss.
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