During his MSNBC town hall, Democratic presidential hopeful Mayor Pete Buttigieg broke with his party’s leadership over its 2017 push for then-Senator Al Franken to resign over several incidents of inappropriate or sexual misconduct: “I would not have applied that amount of pressure at that time before we knew more.”

When MSNBC host Chris Matthews first asked Buttigieg about the leadership’s response to photos showing Franken inappropriate touching or posing with women, the crowd audibly groaned. Buttigieg visibly reacted to the question as well. “I think it was his decision to make, but I think the way we basically held him to a higher standard than the GOP does their people has been used against us,” Buttigieg said, in a clear deflection.

Franken’s swift resignation still remains a sore subject for many Democrats two years after he stepped down. And it is playing a role in the 2020 race. Back in April, the New York Times obtained an internal memo from the presidential campaign of Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), in which it acknowledged that the issue was hampering her ability to fundraise for her 2020 bid. When the news broke about Franken’s conduct two years ago, Gillibrand issued an early, public call for him resign. Some in the party saw the move as the betrayal of an ally in the Senate even though her position was quickly echoed by other leaders in the Democratic caucus.

When Matthews pushed once more for a clear answer, Buttigieg demurred again, saying: “Well, it’s not a bad thing that we hold ourselves to a higher standard.”

Trying a third time, Matthews was blunt: “Were they right to do that, to push him out of the Senate because they did?”

Cornered, Buttigieg finally responded to the question: “I would not have applied that amount of pressure at that time before we knew more.”

Watch the video above, via MSNBC.

from Mediaite https://www.mediaite.com/election-2020/mayor-pete-buttigieg-breaks-with-top-democrats-i-would-not-have-pushed-out-al-franken/