As the floodgates open, as many
as 40 members could be jeopardized by a fresh round of allegations.
When
Minnesota Senator Al Franken announced on Thursday that he would
resign, he made it clear that he did not believe he had besmirched
one of the nation’s fundamental organs of government. “I know in my heart,
nothing that I have done as a senator—nothing—has brought dishonor on this
institution, and I am confident that the Ethics Committee would agree,” he said
on the Senate floor, adding that “some of the allegations against me are simply
not true,” and others happened “very differently” than they were described to
the press. Nevertheless, he stepped aside, becoming the second congressperson
to do so in the wake of sexual harassment allegations that week. And it now
appears that his resignation is only the tip of a gargantuan iceberg: according
to several media reporters, CNN and The Washington Post have
dozens of stories in the works to expose at least 20
lawmakers, and potentially as many as 40—over
1 in 10 male members of congress, all told.
