The narrative that Gillibrand acted on her own to force Franken's resignation is bizarre, and at odds with the facts. (A quick thread.)
For one thing, it was widely reported at the time that Chuck Schumer called Franken before Gillibrand went public and told him that he needed to step down. thehill.com/homenews/senat…
Second, though Gillibrand's call was the first, five other senators—McCaskill, Hassan, Hirono, Murray, and Harris—followed within five minutes. This was neither a coincidence nor a stampede.
As was widely reported at the time, these six senators had been conducting backchannel discussions about the growing Franken scandal for days, and their statements on December 6 were coordinated.
Finally, Franken was not forced to resign. He chose to quit after admitting the truth of some of the allegations against him, and choosing not to dispute others.
But whatever you think of the allegations against Franken, Gillibrand's call for him to step down was coordinated with multiple other senators and consistent with what Schumer, the minority leader, was telling Franken in private at the same time.
I believe that Gillibrand was right to encourage Franken to step down, and that Franken was right to do so. But even if you don't, the premise that Gillibrand somehow went rogue for machiavellian reasons is at odds with the facts.
