SHOULD TRUMP RESIGN NEXT?
Joe K III, other Dems raise the question
With Minnesota Sen. Al Franken out of the way, Democrats — including U.S. Rep. Joseph Kennedy III — are turning their fire on President Trump and raising questions about whether he should resign over his own sexual misconduct scandal.
The calculated strategy is aimed at deflecting attention from the resignation of two top Democrats and resurrecting harassment allegations made against Trump, and his infamous boast on the “Access Hollywood” bus that caused a furor in the 2016 campaign. “I don’t think because you’re the president of the United States you should be held to a different standard,” Kennedy said yesterday in an interview with the Boston Herald.
“We’ve heard a number of allegations. We’ve heard an eloquent articulation from Billy Bush ...” Kennedy said, referring to the “Access Hollywood” host who has recently confirmed that Trump made the “grab ’em by the (expletive)” comment overheard on an audiotape.
“If those incidents happened ... if they are true, just because he’s president doesn’t mean he should somehow get off any different from any other elected official,” Kennedy added.
Kennedy, the nephew of the late U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, joined a chorus of other Democrats yesterday who also sought to raise questions about Trump’s alleged sexual misconduct. The Massachusetts Democrat made his comments in response to a question about whether Trump should resign.
This came on the day Franken, the former “Saturday Night Live” comedian, reluctantly resigned after more sexual harassment allegations surfaced against him.
Franken is the second major Democrat to be forced out this week. On Monday, Rep. John Conyers announced he was quitting in the wake of several women coming forward to claim he sexually harassed them.
Kennedy also raised questions over why Republicans aren’t asking one of their own colleagues, U.S. Rep. Blake Farenthold, to resign following reports that he used $84,000 in taxpayer money to settle a sexual harassment claim made by a former aide.
Other Democrats have also sought to turn the spotlight on Farenthold.
But Kennedy is not joining his Democratic colleagues on another key question — whether to launch impeachment proceedings against President Trump.
“I do believe that when we talk about impeachment of the president of the United States that, I’m not there yet,” he said. “I’ve got grave, grave concerns as to his actions as a candidate, as a private citizen, and as a president. But I believe that (the Mueller) investigation needs to be able to continue unimpeded without interference.”
A total of 58 Democrats, including U.S. Rep. Michael Capuano (D-Mass.), supported a resolution this week calling for impeachment proceedings to begin. Kennedy missed the vote because his wife is expecting a baby any day.
But while he won’t support impeachment yet, Kennedy indicated he did think there could be a case to oust the president once the special prosecutor’s case is finished.
“I think there’s a credible point for an obstruction of justice charge,” Kennedy said. “I do think that investigation needs to play out.”