Soros Won’t Back Gillibrand In 2020 Over Her Role In Franken’s Resignation
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By Aiden Pink June 10, 2018
Billionaire financier and Democratic donor George Soros told The Washington Post on Friday that he was rooting against New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand to get the party’s nomination for president in 2020 because of what he saw as her role in the resignation of fellow Democratic Sen. Al Franken.
Gillibrand, along with several other female Democratic senators, called on Franken to resign last year after multiple women accused him of inappropriate and unwanted touching. Franken eventually resigned in January 2018.
“I refuse to get involved in the presidential elections because they will divide the Democratic Party,” Soros claimed. But, he added, “there’s only one whom I would not like to see succeed, and that’s Gillibrand of New York because she is responsible for pushing…the comedian…Al Franken, whom I admire, to resign. In order to improve her chances.”
Soros also took pride in the criticism he has received from the right for his advocacy: “I’m proud of my enemies. When I look at the enemies I have all over the world, I must be doing something right.”
This is not the first time Gillibrand has been criticized over Franken’s resignation: “The View” host Joy Behar accused her earlier this year of having “led the charge” for his resignation, which she felt was unfair in light of President Trump’s comments about sexual assault.
Gillibrand responded that Franken was a friend and had done good work in the Senate, but she had to think about what she would tell her son.
“How am I supposed to tell him, it’s OK to grab a woman here, it’s OK to grab a woman here, but it’s not OK to grab a woman here?” she asked. “Absolutely not! I’m not going to have that conversation. That is the wrong conversation to be having.”
Contact Aiden Pink at pink@forward.com or on Twitter, @aidenpink
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