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Rich Lowry in National Review:

“Surely, the state of Minnesota can come up with someone to occupy one of its two Senate seats who hasn’t treated people this way and been dishonest about it.”

Mr. Lowry says he doesn’t buy Mr. Franken’s apology during his resignation speech. Whether he is innocent, as the senator claims, Mr. Lowry writes, then he shouldn’t resign. After all, “a duly-elected senator wrongly accused owes it to himself and his constituents to fight on.” Read more »

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George Neumayr in American Spectator:



“The Democrats saw an opportunity for some cost-free moral posturing. Franken was ‘doing the right thing,’ they said. But how is he doing the right thing if he continues to deny the charges?”

Add Mr. Neumayr to the growing list of writers from the right who said they were dissatisfied with Mr. Franken’s apology on Thursday. According to Mr. Neumayr, Mr. Franken’s body language during his speech “was that of a hapless customer handed another patron’s bill.” In this case, the unpaid bill was that of President Bill Clinton. Read more »

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From the Left

Joan Walsh in The Nation:



“I would like to see Franken’s departure be not just another #MeToo moment but a long-delayed #TrumpToo moment.”

Though Ms. Walsh initially said that she did not think that Mr. Franken should resign from his seat in the Senate, she now sees his departure as a political opportunity. She’s referring, of course, to Democrats using that momentum to hold hearings about accusations of sexual misconduct by President Trump. And while she says she is a realist about the effect that the minority party can have with such hearings, she nonetheless suggests that Democrats need to be more aggressive with Mr. Trump. For one, she argues that it would “encourage demoralized progressives” to bring Mr. Trump to “public account.” Read more »

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Paul Waldman in The Week:

“Who survives this kind of scandal? The ones that are the least repentant — and often, the most guilty.”

Thursday’s events follow a depressing pattern when it comes to political scandals, Mr. Waldman says. Those who are accused of harassment but stand their ground are rarely held to account by their own parties. He adds, “No matter what you did, there’s a good chance you’ll win.” Read more »