Today in corruption: Trump's first congressional endorser, Rep. Chris Collins (R-NY) was arrested for insider trading. I had asked Trump's HHS nominee, Tom Price, about the insider deal he got on the same stock during his confirmation hearing. More here:
This week, career intel officer
@MalcolmNance
, who first disclosed that Russia hacked the 2016 election, makes the case that Donald Trump has been a Russian asset for decades. Scary, but fun!
Listen on iTunes
and Google Play:
In addition to his memorable questioning of Secs Sessions and DeVos, he had the foresight to question Sec Price about insider trading and foresee the mass corruption that would occur in every corner of this administration.
My Midwest Values PAC is funding Dems running for Sec. of State in key states. Consider entering our Fathers Day raffle for THIS. My potter daughter & I made this ONE platter w/my handdrawn map! Open this link for details.
I worry about how the Mueller investigation will end. Acting AG Whitaker has the power to block any Mueller Report from becoming public. So I asked
@davidfrum
to discuss the threat Trump presents to our democracy.
I seem remember another instance where you considered it "bullying" to deny someone a requested investigation, which was not an "extraordinary measure," but "basic fairness." And that “someone who is lying does not ask...to investigate...claims." Not sure what is different here.
Is anyone challenging her to consider the fact that due process may have revealed that there was no sexual harassment? And that her call for his resignation and orchestration of others to do so made it impossible for him to get his due process? I mean, I am just steaming 😤
Conflating criticism of Kirsten Gillibrand for driving my father to resign from the Senate before an ethics investigation with sexism is silly. Women can be criticized for things they’ve done without being the victim of a sexist attack.
Regardless of whether this year has brought you joy or pain, I hope you’ll take a moment this Thanksgiving to tell the people around you that you love them and give thanks for the good things in life. Franni and I wish you all the best. More thoughts here:
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand slams Republicans for "bullying" Brett Kavanaugh's accuser: "She's not asking for extraordinary measures, she's asking for basic fairness."
It’s Franni Franken here. You don’t normally see me posting things to this, but today is Al’s 67th birthday. And I want to wish him happy birthday and share with you all a little bit about how much he’s meant to me in the 42 years we’ve been married.
As we mourn the loss of the victims in Pittsburgh, let's be sure to mourn the horrific murders of
#VickieJones
and
#MauriceStallard
, also in the name of hate.
Check out my latest interview with
@NormOrnstein
, Washington's MVP (Most Versatile Pundit) and Washington Post columnist EJ Dionne. We talk about what Democrats should be focusing on in the 2020 election. Give a listen, won’t you?
@tedlieu
@robynzurfluh
Senator Franken wasn’t even allowed the ethics investigation he requested and was entitled to and that the senate democrats are pushing so hard for for Kavanaugh in the name of fairness and truth.
@NormOrnstein
@AriMelber
LOL. A candy store in St. Paul made a dark chocolate Almond Joy and called it an "Almond Al" because Dad wanted this option so badly.
Talked w/ Michael Lewis abt his bestseller, The Fifth Risk. It shows how perverse Trump Admin is w/o spending lot of time w/ Trump. On
#SOTU
night, this gives examples of what a disaster it is to have a president who has no interest in how gov’t works.
Let me be clear: I blame all the Democrats who called for my father’s resignation before the investigation, male and female, senators and non, for putting him in the untenable position that led to his resignation.
Contrast, for example, her calls for my father’s resignation to Sen. Gillibrand’s recent response to accusations of corruption against her colleague Sen. Menendez; when asked whether he should resign, she said that he should defer to the decision of the ethics committee.
What
@eugene_scott
’s analysis omits here is that Gillibrand called for my father’s resignation before he was afforded an ethics investigation, the standard process for senators accused of misconduct.
As the recent exoneration of
@GeorgeTakei
shows, accusations don’t equal guilt. Some misunderstood my father’s response to these accusations to be an admittance of guilt.
Pretty much everyone agrees that right after someone dies, it’s very bad form to say something bad about them. That’s why it’s admirable that Donald Trump waited a full seven months to say horrible things about John McCain. Hope you read more on that here:
Sen. Gillibrand led that charge, using a press conference for a bill *he* originated against mandatory arbitration for sexual harassment claims in the workplace to call for his resignation. As the leader, she has become the symbol of what transpired.
Yesterday I asked folks to donate books & $ to fill empty shelves of Bug-O-Nay-Ge-Shig school in MN. In 24 hrs we’ve raised over $50K & about 1K books purchased. Can’t tell you how grateful I & folks at Leech Lake Reservation are. If you want to help:
You think Mitch McConnell’s maneuvers on
#SCOTUS
make him a sick, cynical, ugly monster? Well, he’s much, much worse than that!!! Revisit my Podcast with
@howardfineman
who’s covered
#MoscowMitch
since the mid-70’s. It’s UGLY!
Interesting that people think male celebrities running for office got a break. That was certainly not the case for my dad, at least. I wish
@CynthiaNixon
luck, though am wondering if she might consider running for the Senate, instead?
Given the newness of the MeToo movement, and in effort to be sensitive to women telling their stories, we felt the ethics process, not the court of public opinion, was the best place for my dad to defend himself against the accusations.
@benwikler
Thank you,
@benwikler
. I am so proud of you and grateful to you and your family, who undoubtedly contributed and sacrificed to get this done. 🙏
Also don't understand why these articles continue to equate accusations with guilt and completely miss the point that KG denied Dad due process while affording an ethics investigation to her colleague with a Republican governor. 🤷♀️
This episode, and
@MalcolmNance
, is amazing. Be sure to listen to the end to hear about how the KGB had been gathering info on Trump thru Ivana’s parents in communist Czechoslovakia since they were married in the late 70s. 😳
But knowing my dad, he'll continue to reflect on how to make things better for all vulnerable people - be they women or men - and do what he can to make that happen.
Sen. Gillibrand says Christine Blasey Ford's call for an FBI investigation into her assault allegations against Brett Kavanaugh is about "basic fairness," adding that the FBI will "do an objective investigation of the facts [and] present those facts to the Judiciary Committee"
I’ve been thinking about health care and the role it played in the midterms. So when I was recently in MN, I sat down to talk w/ Andy Slavitt, head of Medicare & Medicaid during the last 2 years of the Obama admin. Thought some of you might be interested:
This week The Al Franken Podcast is a great one - for a change. Scholar, pundit, fellow Minnesota Jew
@NormOrnstein
discusses how the erosion of norms from Gingrich thru McConnell to Trump have brought us to today’s shitshow. Listen on:
Who could be worse than the politically motivated senators who pressured
@alfranken
to resign in the middle of a six-year term without any investigation?
Answer: Senators who ram through a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court without a full FBI investigation.
VOTE THEM OUT!
On this week's podcast
@MalcolmNance
talks
#Russia
&
#January6th
. The guy who called Russia’s 2016 hack before anyone else, predicts what will precipitate Jan 6 investigation.
Subscribe to The Al Franken Podcast on Apple Podcasts:
As some of you know, January 3 is the roughest day of the year for me and my family. Five years ago today, our beloved 34-year-old son Matthew died accidentally of carbon monoxide poisoning after a ten-year struggle with serious mental illness, including anosognosia.
“The work was worth doing. I can say that I miss doing it.”
Former Sen. Al Franken speaks at the dedication of the new Bug-O-Nay-Ge-Shig high school on the Leech Lake reservation.
He’d pushed for years to replace a dangerously dilapidated old school building.
The Senate Judiciary Committee should allow the FBI to conduct a full investigation before we hold any hearings on the allegations Dr. Ford has made against Brett Kavanaugh. Holding a hearing without any investigation signals no interest in getting to the bottom of this.
This week on the podcast, former Obama Nat’l Security Advisor
@AmbassadorRice
tells all. Lindsey Graham being a jerk before he became a total jerk. How to handle fucki*g up so you can be human but still keep going. A great one. &
This week's guest on the Podcast is
@NormOrnstein
. In this clip, he talks about how the government used to work. You know, when things like facts were important.
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iTunes:
Spotify:
Google Play:
I agree. Discrimination and the abuse of women has gone on far too long and it’s way past time we stop it. But I hope you can understand the heartbreak and anger I feel because of the lack of accountability for what has happened to my dad.
This needs to happen. Even I would probably go see a movie with Idris as Bond! 💗😍 Idris Elba James Bond - James Bond Producers Are Leaning Toward Idris Elba As the Next 007
Learning from home has given me a window into the talents and dedication of my children’s teachers. They are amazing and deserve, as my son’s teacher would say, lots of “shine.”
It's still Teacher Appreciation Month till Sunday. That said, don't stop appreciating teachers on Monday. After all, they sure came through in March and April - teaching our kids virtually. And - idea for appreciating teachers - Pay Them More!
#SendTeachersLove
Not just a reliable vote on pro-choice legislation, Dad led the charge against/on stalking apps, ensuring women didn’t have to pay for their own rape kits...
Finding it interesting that people keep writing about backlash against KG as though it were a new story and hadn't already been written about multiple times over the past few months.
Today on The Al Franken Podcast it's Michael Lewis w/ riveting stories from his newest bestseller, The 5th Risk. Who ends up in powerful positions when POTUS has no clue about what the gov’t does and doesn’t care? Hint: they’re stupid, venal, and corrupt.
Franni and I were blessed yesterday to welcome our fourth grandchild, Claire Frances Franken into this world at 8 lbs. 12 oz. & 20 inches. Mother (Stephanie) & daughter are fine, Father (Joe) & big brother (Jacob, age 3) are stressed & confused. Both of them. Here's me & Claire:
...trauma-informed training for police officers working with sexual assault victims, ending mandatory arbitration for women bringing sexual harassment claims against their employers.
And this is just off the top of my head.
I’ve written some advice to my former Democratic colleagues on the Judiciary Committee about tomorrow’s hearing with AG Barr, it’s a little rough on Barr.
This week on The Al Franken Podcast: Was
@SenatorCollins
wrong? Omigod yes!
@Dahlialithwick
&
@IanBassin
on how his acquittal has emboldened Trump to undo our system of justice & our democracy.
Listen on:
iTunes: &
Spotify:
Bedtime – my favorite time of the day. That’s Avery, our 2 1/2 yr. old granddaughter and Joe, her 6-year old brother. They’re so sweet and beautiful and loving. Mainly my doing, I think.
@krassenstein
I would like to know why the Democrats didn't have the passionate support for basic fairness and due process for him that they do for Kavanaugh.
Julie from WA receives my autographed hand-drawn map of the US! Chosen by a number generator, she was
#1290
of the more than 2,100 folks who donated over $71K to
@womensadvocates
shelter in St. Paul! My PAC kicked in another $25K. Very grateful!