Mélange

A Vermont Politician once said when you are in trouble and the crowd is chasing you, “Get out front of them”. That way at least it looks like you are leading the mob, not being run out of town.

Friendly Reminder: Al Franken Never Apologized And Said His Accusers Were Liars

Well, Stuart Smalley’s time in the U.S. Senate has come and gone. After eight women accused him of sexual harassment, the Minnesota Democrat decided resign in the coming weeks. Leeann Tweeden, a radio host, first lobbed allegations that he forcibly kissed and groped her during a 2006 USO tour through the Middle East. Lindsay Menz accused him of grabbing her buttocks during a photo op at the Minnesota State Fair in 2010. Before Thanksgiving, two more women alleged Franken grabbed their rear ends in 2007 and 2008 respectively; both occurred at political events. For a while, Democrats circled the wagons. They refused to say he should resign; a former Hillary Clinton staffer said Franken’s sexual misconduct was benign. [snip]

Maybe Franken thought he could hang on, maybe he thought his Senate colleagues thought better of him, which could have provided a buffer from which he could survive. No dice. Was it the whole ‘I’m a liberal Democrat’ mindset that kept Franken in a false sense of security? It surely explains where he went in his speech. He was obviously not willing to leave.

For one of Franken’s accusers, Army veteran Stephanie Kemplin, she was appalled, and rightfully so, at Franken’s inability to come to terms and own what he did; Kemplin alleges that Franken groped her breast in 2003 (via Washington Times): [snip]

We should just be honest here. This isn’t the Democrats cleaning house, owning their past, or trying to change the culture on the Hill. As Liz Harrington at the Free Beacon noted, it was the realization that Franken was expendable—Minnesota has a Democratic governor—and that his loss wouldn’t really reduce their ranks in the upper chamber. On top of that, they can redirect on Republicans without having to man the Franken-Conyers element on their flanks. This is solely about politics and nothing more. I know we know that; this is for the more left-leaning folks out there.

As Franken sees it, honking a boob or three is no big deal. After all it’s not like they were using them for anything at the time. No babies were fastened to them, so what’s the hollering about over a quick fondle.
Besides, in Franken’s world, I’m important, a member of the Senate and I thought it was hilarious too.

GOP Rep. Mia Love Calls for Farenthold to Resign Over 84K Harassment Settlement

Rep. Mia Love (R-UT) said Thursday evening that she believes Rep. Blake Farenthold (R-TX) should resign in light of the $84,000 settlement for sexual harassment he made with taxpayer funds in 2015. Love told CNN that members of Congress need to hold themselves to a higher standard.

“I think that he should voluntarily resign because we I believe we have to hold ourselves to a higher standard,” Love said, “where he may not feel like his behavior was inappropriate obviously somebody did, obviously somebody felt uncomfortable.”

Love called the recent slew of sexual harassment allegations “a culture of behavior,” saying, “the fact is somebody was paid off and what’s really frustrating to me is that the money was used, it’s taxpayer dollars was used.”

She referenced a bill she introduced in the House last week called the Stop Taxpayer Obligations to Perpetrators of Sexual Harassment (STOP) Act which would prohibit payment within Congress for claims involving sexual harassment by members of Congress. [snip]

Farenthold is the only known sitting member of Congress to take advantage of the little-known congressional account which covers harassment and discrimination lawsuits. He claimed when the case was settled in 2015 that he didn’t engage in any wrongdoing. He also said in a recent interview that he is taking a personal loan to repay the taxpayer money used to settle the 2015 lawsuit.

The House Ethics Committee announced Thursday that it will be establishing an investigative subcommittee to look into the allegations against Farenthold.

Isn’t it nice when one can make unwanted overtures, insult another party or perhaps fondle a bit of flesh, then settle the resulting charges with OPM. Yeah, that OPM is your OPM, taxpayer money. Congress takes care of themselves quietly and we pay for their dirty laundry.
You should be so lucky to have a ‘Godfather’ such as that.

Democrat Representative Used $220K of Tax Payer Money For Sexual Harassment Settlement

Documents show that the United States Treasury used $220,000 of tax payer money to settle a lawsuit alleging sexual harassment committed by Florida Democrat Alcee Hastings against one of his staffers, reports Roll Call.

Winsome Packer, a former staff member of a congressional commission that promotes international human rights, said in documents that the congressman touched her, made unwanted sexual advances, and threatened her job. At the time, Hastings was the chairman of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, where Packer worked.

Hastings has called Packer’s charges “ludicrous” and in documents said he never sexually harassed her.

“Until this evening, I had not seen the settlement agreement between the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) and Ms. Packer,” the congressman said in a statement Friday night. “This matter was handled solely by the Senate Chief Counsel for Employment. At no time was I consulted, nor did I know until after the fact that such a settlement was made.”

Hastings said that the lawsuit that Packer filed against him and an investigation by the House Ethics Committee were ultimately dismissed.

“I am outraged that any taxpayer dollars were needlessly paid to Ms. Packer,” he said.

It is worth noting that Rep. Alcee Hastings was indicted by a grand jury in 1981 for accepting bribes as a Federal Judge in exchange for a shorter sentencing for two-mob convicted felons, according to senate.gov. [snip]

Following years of committee proceedings, the Senate found Hastings guilty on 11 of 17 articles of impeachment. Former Ku Klux Klansman and Democrat icon Robert Byrd ordered Hastings removed from office, acting as the Senate president pro tempore. But, the senate did not bar him from holding future office.

Four years later, Hastings was elected to Congress where he has held office ever since.

One more bit of loveliness from the Jackass Party. They will never cease to amaze you with the amount of Progressive corruption they can pump up from the Marxist cloaca they call home.