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Joy Behar grills Kirsten Gillibrand about calling on Al Franken to resign: Do you think ‘voters are going to turn on you for this?’
On The View Wednesday, 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Kirsten Gillibrand said she doesn’t think her decision to call for Al Franken to resign from the Senate over sexual misconduct allegations will impact her success in the race for the White House.
In the wake of recent low polling numbers, Joy Behar asked Gillibrand whether she thinks Democratic voters might turn against her for leading the charge against Franken.
“No, I don’t,” the New York senator responded. “I think there are a few influential and powerful Democratic donors and elites who are angry about it. But if they’re going to be angry about me standing up for women who were groped, that’s on them.”
This isn’t the first time Gillibrand has been questioned by Behar on the topic. During the segment, Behar said she was a “friend” of Franken’s, and added that she thought “he was a great senator.”
“I really miss him now, because I think that he had a mouth on him and a brain,” Behar said to Gillibrand about Franken. “You have certainly a brain. And a lot of them have a brain. But this guy had a way of talking that I think he would have challenged Trump and the Republicans in a different way. I actually miss him and I’m sorry that he’s gone.”
Viewers on Twitter haven’t forgotten Gillibrand’s involvement in Franken’s departure either, and also chimed in on the topic. Many said the move marred their opinion of the senator.
All Senator Gillibrand has to offer is forcing @SenFranken Franken to resign after a gag photo in poor taste. He was a more progressive better Senator than she is. Is she here to team up with Meghan to try and destroy more Democrats. It's time for gillibrand to leave the race.
— Joy M (@Joie_de_Vivre__) April 24, 2019
Not happy with what she did to Al Franken it was a loss to our country not having him in Congress
— Judy4reason (@judy4reason) April 24, 2019
@SenGillibrand forced Franken out even though he was one of the most effective Congressmen elected including her. If she wanted to be a good example to her son...be EFFECTIVE. Listen, work, together. I won’t vote for someone with a trigger finger. As bad as Trump seriously
— Guess Who (@emmeyc) April 24, 2019
I was not impressed. I will never vote for you. Even if you win the nomination (highly unlikely), I’ll write in the name of another candidate. Al Franken should still be in the Senate.
— Kathleen McCallum (@CarouselKathy) April 24, 2019
Others, however, thought Gillibrand was right to hold Franken accountable for his actions and that the panel should have asked her questions on policy.
@TheView @JoyVBehar @SenGillibrand I’m sort of disappointed how you wanted to hook Sen Gillibrand today for her holding Gormer Sen Al Franken accountable for the complaints against him. Is it accountability unless it’s a friend of yours? You have some inner work to do.
— Scott Miller (@ScottMiller701) April 24, 2019
You have a female candidate for POTUS and ask her about two of the white men? Al Franken? Would you ask Joe or Beto about her? The women get treated so I seriously. Ask about policies. Aspirations. Not her assessment of her white male competitors who already get more media hype.
— A2Mamman (@A2Mamman) April 24, 2019
If I was Gillibrand I would've just turned and said "Yeah, but he's gonna have to keep doing it, kinda like I have to keep answering questions about Al Franken, unless you wanna ask me a question on policy" pic.twitter.com/UOHDnBpAgC
— Eamon Paton-Usry (@Eamon2Please) April 24, 2019
Gillibrand also addressed recent allegations of unwanted touching against one of her likely opponents in the race, Joe Biden.
“I think it's an issue he is going to have to directly answer to voters,” Gillibrand said. “Once he announces I’m sure it’s a question that voters will want to talk to him about, and that’s his job.”
Watch The View’s Meghan McCain get cut off during a heated discussion on the Mueller report:
