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Kevin Drum lays out a case for Franken's innocence
https://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2019/07/defending-al-franken-for-real/Some interesting points I hadn't thought of that make sense:
- Nobody had ever so much as whispered anything untoward about Franken before 2017.
- After Franken resigned, the allegations stopped dead. I know there’s not much point in coming forward once Franken was gone, but if Franken was really a serial groper I’m surprised not to have heard so much as another peep since December 7, 2017.
- As I mentioned yesterday, no one has come forward saying “everyone knew” about Franken. This is a surprising omission since it’s drearily inevitable in most sexual harassment cases.
And he's honest enough to admit that his theory of the case isn't airtight:
As strong as I think this fact pattern is, it has a gigantic hole: if Franken is innocent, why did eight separate women come forward to accuse him? Was this some kind of coordinated attack? I admit that hardly seems likely.
In the end, I think Franken is most likely innocent, but I have no good explanation for what produced a sudden deluge of harassment allegations against him. If it was a ratfuck, it was surely one of the most genius ratfucks of all time.
In the end, I think Franken is most likely innocent, but I have no good explanation for what produced a sudden deluge of harassment allegations against him. If it was a ratfuck, it was surely one of the most genius ratfucks of all time.
It's an interesting read and not too long.
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