On the buzz meter this Sunday politicians in both parties
Facing sexual harassment allegations as a radio talk show host accuses Al Franken of unwanted kissing and groping and the Democratic senator
apologizes for the behavior captured in this cringe inducing picture with LeAnn tweeting
And it was a photo of all doing his you know
This on my breast like looking at the camera
Just kind of smirking and smiling like hey look at me
And I took that as the you know the final leg. Yeah, like I got the last laugh
I mean is it funny if he does that to your sister or your daughter or your wife?
There's absolutely no question that by the standard that was recently set by the political and media
Establishment that Al Franken should be expelled, but no one was really getting Al Franken's joke today at all it wasn't funny
It was really juvenile. It was something. You'd see like a drunk fraternity party
Maybe well, maybe it was too immature for a fraternity party
I think he's really trying to apologize and show contrition almost any be accountable to the ethics committee look
I think Al Franken should resign
I don't think I don't know if that's a democratic talking point or not
But he committed a sexual assault right is the press treating all such allegation seriously
Regardless of political party the conservative media turn on Roy Moore who refuses to quit the Alabama Senate race despite mounting
accusations including from Beverly young Nelson I
Tried to open my car door to lead
But he reached over. He locked it
I was determined that I was not going to allow him to force me to have sex with him I
was terrified
he was also trying to pull my shirt off I
Thought that he was going to rape me I didn't want one more to stop
spearing these women by saying that he's gonna make all this go away with a lawsuit until
he files those papers and no one so far has proved it is with that question a rush to judgment and the
due process
And it reeks just a bit of what wing hypocrisy you must immediately and fully come up with the satisfactory
explanations for your
Inconsistencies that I just showed you must remove any doubt if you can't do this then judge more needs to get out of this race
This is the criticism by Sean Hannity and The Wall Street Journal and its hurl page help tip the debate over more
Some liberal pundits now say they were too easy on Bill
Clinton when he was battling accusations of
Harassment and assault that ultimately led to his impeachment is it time for a media reckoning over the 42nd president plus
Hillary Clinton in the headlines as jeff sessions considers a special counsel to investigate
Her what about the media criticism that President Trump pushed the Justice Department to go after his former opponent?
I'm Howard Kurtz and this is media buzz
If there was any doubt that
Leanne tweed in the LA radio host and committee was upset about what Al Franken did to her 11 years ago it?
Vanished when she spoke to CNN's Jake Tapper
You know you always
And I want to be cliche, but you know
You talk about trying to leave the world a better place for your kids. You know
Sorry
We'll get to that in moments
But the bigger media spotlight remains on Roy Moore who was continuing to deny allegations from nine women and is still blaming the press
As you know the Washington Post is brought some scurrilous false
Charges not charges allegations, which I am emphatically denied time and time again
They're not only untrue
But they have no evidence to support them
Joining us now to analyze the coverage Emily Jasinski commentary writer for the Washington Examiner
Michael Thomas key columnist for The Daily Beast and editor of democracy a journal of ideas and
Francesca chambers White House correspondent for Daily Mail calm
Emily with more accusers coming forward against Roy Moore talking not just the Washington Post within the newspaper group in Alabama to includes the Birmingham
News have most of the media reached a point of saying well, they can't all be lying, right
And I think that's sort of what's happening here
And what's interesting is with Roy Moore's defense these are in Senator Tom cotton had a great response the media has reported
Specific credible allegations against Roy Moore that he has yet to combat with specific credible defenses
And so I think that's where the situation gets tough, and I think frankly that's where as a conservative I find his
blaming of the media sort of exploitive of this very
Understandable skepticism that a lot of people in Alabama and a lot of conservatives had towards the media
Because he's not really defending himself well enough that we should just take his word at face value
Is there a critical mass to the coverage Michael when various people tell various reporters that?
More hung out at the local mall and went after young girls woman named Gina
Richardson said more called her out of her high school trig class to ask her on a date
Woman named Tina Johnson says he grabbed her buttocks in the law office when he was a married attorney
there's all of that reach a critical mass well it does, but you know I think what's
Not necessarily completely unique, but what's what does stand out about these allegations is how airtight?
They really seem like that first
Washington Post story the one point that everybody I talked to about it made was a boy it really seems airtight
Three you say every time, but it is almost four decades right it is four decades ago
But but you know we've all read dozens of these kinds of stories, and we all have a pretty decent meter for judging how?
solid this seems that one just seemed really solid and then the Birmingham News and others have come up with other stories that seem to
Corroborate what about Beverley young knows when we saw moments ago
More who tried to lock her in the car when she was 16 left bruises on her neck the fact that she told her story
On television I wanted to do so so far there's another woman who's gonna speak on the Today show tomorrow
Does that really have far more impact and even these carefully reported print interviews well no going back to what you're saying
I think that the Washington Post story sent shockwaves through this race and
These allegations and talking about blaming the media here
I think the media has a responsibility if it finds out about allegations like these to report them
And whether that is against a conservative against a liberal against someone like Harvey you know Harvey Weinstein if there is anyone
And you're a reporter and you find out about these
I think you have a responsibility to bring them to the public eye, right well
I just think what someone goes on television not that means they're automatically telling the truth
It just so you can see them
And you can see listen to their voice you can make a judgement now has the tide turn you're a conservative with conservative
commentators and out less you have the Wall Street Journal editorial page saying this is beyond the point of survivability and more should quit and
She won had any after he issued that ultimatum that 24-hour made him he didn't call him more to get out of the race he
Said it's up to people of Alabama, but certainly you're seeing more criticism from the right
I think there are a few holdouts like Steve Bannon for instance this camp was refuting
I believe was a Daily Beast story
That said he was sort of hedging on the issue a little bit
But he said you know his camp came out and defended it and said that wasn't true
But so there's some there's still some holdouts, but I think the conservative media has responded well to this
I think you know we've seen that the tide really has turned with conservative press
and I think what's really interesting one comment about Beverly Young Nelson speaking directly to cameras you have all of these people who are
understandably skeptical of the media she cut them out of the equation she spoke to
To the camera and gave people around the country a reason to believe a person rather than the press
I thought that was an interesting moment
There's a natural instinct. I think when it's you're a Republican and it's a Republican under fire Democrats the same thing to
Maybe be a little
Hesitant to pass judgment, but it seems now that the mouthing accusations have made even people who are sympathetic to judge more
To be least openly skeptical if not critical. Oh, yeah, yeah, I agree I agree
I think most of you in the conservative media that I've seen have had played this straight
And I I hope I'm not jumping ahead to Al Franken
I know you want to talk about Al, but I think I think most liberals
Have treated that well, too
I haven't seen much or any favoritism toward him from liberals
Because he's a Democrat
We will get to that now you you covered the White House you were on the foreign trip so Sarah Huckabee Sanders was very careful
Not to go beyond president Trump's original statement written statement that the allegations against more are true
He should get out of the race. He hasn't addressed at this, but then there was a vodka Trump
Tweeting that there's a special place in Hell special place in hell for people prey on children
She has no reason to doubt the victims accounts
But president hasn't gone beyond that well the president hasn't
Spoken out about that part of the issue at all
What happened on the trip is that sarah?
Huckabee sanders delivered a statement on behalf of the president the president then gets asked about it a day later and says you know she
Already made a statement, and we've said that he needs to do the right thing if these things were true
But that was the last time that he talked about it
There's been more accusations since then and every time that he was asked about it this week at the White House
He ducked those questions, and so that's something that's not going to go away
I think as you see heading into the this next week even with Thanksgiving for this White House the fact that the president hasn't taken
Aside here, and he is a leader of the Republican Party
But the President as you know has weighed in on Al Franken
And here's the tweet we can put it up you may have seen this the al frankenstein picture is really bad speaks a thousand words
We put the street up where to who his hands go in
Pictures two three four five and six while she sleeps so we don't have the picture
But you saw it earlier and so
the question then becomes Emily a lot of media including anchors have kind of slammed the president for
After al franken, but at least not in his own voice speaking out against one more, right?
And I think that's totally fair
Because these are two stories that came out in close proximity to each other and he jumped on it
I mean it was where he is a response to that Franken allegations was really quick and so it almost looks exploitive
But it's it's tough going for it
I mean you have people on both camps left on the right who want to believe their own people so they apply more nuance when
These things are about people on their own sides. I think we saw it with our Frankie
I think we saw that with Roy Moore
It's tough, but hopefully the president will make the right decision when it comes to more well
Here's what Kate Baldwin a CNN news anchor had to say when the president went after senator Franken, but not judge more
This has officially become a the president doesn't get to do this moment
he doesn't get to question Al Franken and stay silent on Roy Moore and no one should allow it I
Don't know how we're not supposed to allow the president gets to say whatever he wants
But is that a fair media criticism that he is speaking out
at least on Twitter
Against the Democrat, but not the Republican well sure it is sure it is I mean you know that's that's favoritism
that's that's that's open partisan favoritism and
On around charges that are really serious and should transcend that but what about news organizations?
Are you seeing this more in the last 48 hours Michael who are now?
Resurrecting the sexual harassment allegations made against Donald Trump as a candidate after the access hollywood tape came out
Why resurrect that story which was you know he's denied it. He's called these women horrible liars
There's certainly debate about whether they should be believed there's about a dozen of them
But we had an election after that any one yeah, but he open the door with that tweet
I didn't see that. I didn't see that anger Trump angle being reintroduced until that tweet
Widely and once he did that tweet he opened the door. He made it fair game. Why did he open the door?
Because it's you know 5:00 in the morning. He can't help himself
Not saying why did he do it?
I'm saying why does that open the door?
It opens the door because he has now weighed in on the topic and so he now gets to say he wants to give some
Shots you get some shots
You know talk about Roy Moore who whenever he talks about this
He rips the liberal media in Alabama particularly goes after the Washington Post except that all the allegations are not
Made to wash Post reporters. There was a robo call we don't know who was behind it in
Alabama that in which somebody pretended to be impersonated a Washington Post reporter
Email between ages of 54 to 57 years old willing to make damage using remarks about candidate anymore
for a war between five thousand seven thousand dollars
Bernie Bernstein, I don't think that name is any coincidence
Offering money for Jared except. That's against the rules of the washer Post in just about every other major news organization
What does that tell us?
Well, I think as Emily said do you know you pointed out?
That's a little potentially a little exploitive of the position that this is somehow
The media's the media's fault that this is that this is now happening to him or that
That the media is looking to take down Roy Moore somehow here which
Wasn't the case they happened to stumble across these allegations
And we've seen it from the Washington Post a we've seen it from other local papers as well, right
I think it's trying to confirm
What the more camp wants voters to believe mm-hmm well?
Even if you believe that the Washington Post would love to knock Roy Moore out of this race
that doesn't mean the story isn't true and there were a lot of interviews with also people who the accusers had told about this when
We come back Al Franken
Apologizes for unwanted kissing and groping as we've seen if a woman who's now radio talk-show host are the media holding him
The same standard and later some liberal commentators saying the left gay Bill Clinton to pass for his
Section was conduct in the 90s and that should change
Leann tweed now a KABC radio hosted in los angeles
Says that on a USO tour back in 2006 al franken despite her objections insisted on rehearsing a skit that called for them to kiss
Here's a shot of one of the actual shows
Seconds tongue down my my mouth, and I remember I pushed him off with my hands
And I just remember I almost punched him, and I just walked out away from him
And I and I walked out and I just wanted to find a bathroom, and I just wanted to rinse my mouth out
Frank had apologized for that and the groping photo taken while tweetIn was asleep on a plane saying he is ashamed quote
There's no excuse. I look at it now and I feel disgusted with myself. It isn't funny. It's completely inappropriate
It's obvious how LeeAnn would feel violated by that picture that was actually a second apology Emily
And so is the explosion of coverage over Al Franken?
Former SNL star what he did eleven years ago before he was a senator that awful photo, and we've all just keep staring at
Is it fueled by the photo?
Well, how would the story have played if there was no picture because usually you don't have pictures in these cases
Yes, I think it's very much fueled by the photo, which if you in some people again?
I said this earlier is that you know when he's in your camp you try to apply it
maybe some more nuance to it so some people were going so far as to zoom in on the photo and to say well the
Touch is so light, and it's just like oh my gosh
And I mean I think a Sehun at MSNBC called it mock groping
And I mean even Al Franken hasn't disputed the context of the picture that we've heard about so when you have photographic evidence and that
Photo is just you get such a visceral reaction to it. It's huge. It's huge
I must say that many liberal outlets have covered the Franken story
extensively including some number of
MSNBC shows with least during the liberal Huffington Post if not quite with the Glee that you see on the right after the story broke
But they're also you brought a book Clinton before I've also seen a lot of media coverage now of this whole idea of Bill
Clinton and whether or not the behavior that he had with Monica Lewinsky and the fact that he settled out of court with
You know another accuser whether or not that is something that should have been acceptable during that more on that in a few moments
Do you agree that that?
Liberals are not going out of their way to defend
Al Franken because it's the conduct is basically indefensible, but I think that you could say the same thing of conservatives here
You know you're sort of in a situation where if you defend him that that doesn't look good for you?
But if you don't stand up against what are very troubling allegations, then that also doesn't play well for you
And I think you're seeing that play out on both sides here
I was I think a lot of conservatives have stuck their necks out
To say Roy what the allegation against remor serious and look really bad?
Stuff against Al Franken is not if he should be investigated with that Lee so there's a media consensus
And I think at this table or Al Franken's behavior was inexcusable
But would it have been such a huge media story a year ago if we were not in the hothouse environment
of Roy Moore Harvey, Weinstein Kevin Spacey
Louis c.k. Bill o'reilly Mark Halperin, you know and so on
Would have been more of a kind of like a two-day embarrassment
I think it would have been a little bit more than that because of the photo and that photo was lightning
At any time or in any context, but your question is right. It's the point
I was about to make before you even asked it the Weinstein contact has changed everything and and it's it's changed the way we
Talk about these things in the way we write about these things
And I think you're gonna see at least for a while there will inevitably be some backlash of some kind
I guess people are already writing about that
But I think we're gonna see for a while the people in the media liberals and conservative opinion people
Are gonna be very careful?
to ask themselves now would I react the same way if this were a Republican what I react the same way if this were a
Democrat you have liberal writers for Slate and salon
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