(CNN) Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg said Monday he would not have called for then-Sen. Al Franken's resignation in 2017 over sexual harassment allegations before having the opportunity to learn more about the claims.

"I think it was his decision to make, but I think the way we basically held him to a higher standard than the GOP does their people has been used against us," Buttigieg said at a MSNBC town hall.

Pushed on his answer, Buttigieg said, "I think it is not a bad thing that we hold ourselves to a higher standard," but he later added, "I would not have applied that pressure at that time before we knew more."

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