Sunday on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) said Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) leaving the U.S. Senate should “establish a national standard” on how the Senate deals with Alabama GOP Senate hopeful Roy Moore if he wins.
Partial transcript as follows:
DICKERSON: Joining us now is Senate Democratic Whip Richard Durbin. He is in Springfield, Illinois. Welcome, senator. I want to pick up on something that Senator Collins said about the choice that senators may face if Roy Moore is elected in Alabama. And the question is: What business does the Senate have in overturning the will of the people of Alabama if he is elected? Senator Collins said that’s a very tough decision. What’s your sense of it?
DURBIN: Well, John, I can tell you this. First, the decision is to be made by the voters in Alabama on Tuesday. And I hope that they will do the right thing in terms of defining their standards and values when it comes to people representing them in Washington. But we have heard from Republican senators first who have suggested that if Roy Moore ends up being elected to the Senate, he would face close scrutiny, investigation, even removal from the Senate once he arrives.
I agree with Senator Collins. It’s a complicated issue. But I will tell you this. We faced the reality this past week. I’ve known Al Franken for over 20 years. He is my friend. He was on the floor of the Senate announcing his resignation. I sat just a few feet away from him. He said it was the worst day in his political life. It was a somber feeling. It was a reality. And I hope the voters of Alabama appreciate that reality when they make their decision on Tuesday.
DICKERSON: Let me ask you about a political critique of the Democratic Party’s pressure on Al Franken that led to his resignation. Dahlia Lithwick writes in Slate a piece that says, “Morality is no longer its own reward. What we get in exchange for being good and morally right is now nothing.” The argument that the Democrats have a standard that leads to Franken to go and the Republicans are going to- the Republican committee’s supporting Moore, the president’s supporting Moore, and that essentially Democrats are on the high road but it’s a politically bad road to be on.
DURBIN: I can just tell you your interview with Susan Collins demonstrates that’s not true. There are Republicans who feel very strongly about this issue and have said so. And I think if more do, then we can establish a national standard, not a partisan standard, when it comes to the future of relationships with women. This to me from Susan Collins’s comments gives me hope that the Alabama voters will do the right thing and we’ll also see both parties coming to the same conclusion on this issue.
DICKERSON: Final question on this, senator. There is a criticism that Al Franken was pressured not just because of the specific facts of the case but Democrats wanted to look good in comparison to Republicans. What’s your response?
DURBIN: I can tell you it was a painful process because of our personal friendships and relationships with Al and his family. There was no political calculation in here. It was just a painful moment when we made a decision, moved forward on the Democratic side. I hope the Republicans will face that reality as well.
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