Two Democratic senators called on President Donald Trump to resign amid demands for a congressional investigation from the numerous women who have come forward and said Trump engaged in sexual misconduct with them in the past.
Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) have both publicly said they believe Trump should resign from the presidency in light of the more than a dozen sexual misconduct allegations that have been made against him.
Booker made his comments over the weekend when he stumped for Democratic Alabama Senate candidate Doug Jones, who is facing off against Roy Moore, a Republican who reportedly engaged in sexual relationships with numerous underage women, which included sexually assaulting a girl when she was 14 and attempting to rape a girl when she was 16.
The New Jersey senator said Trump should follow Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.), who announced he would resign from office after several women said he groped them.
“I just watched Sen. Al Franken do the honorable thing and resign from his office,” Booker told VICE News. “My question is, why isn’t Donald Trump doing the same thing—who has more serious allegations against him, with more women who have come forward. The fact pattern on him is far more damning than the fact pattern on Al Franken.”
Booker added:
“Why hasn’t Donald Trump come forward and said, ‘You know what, in this climate, at this point in this country, I’m going to resign from my position just like Al Franken.”
Merkley tweeted late last week that in light of Franken’s resignation, Trump and Moore should also do the same.
“Enough is enough. @MooreSenate should drop out of the Alabama Senate race right now. @realDonaldTrump should also resign with his track record of horrific conduct towards more than 17 women,” Merkley wrote.
Trump officially endorsed Moore last week. The White House suggested that Moore’s seat in the Senate, and his apparent belief in the president’s agenda, was more important than the accusations made against him.
The calls for the president to resign come around the same time that 16 women who have accused Trump of sexual misconduct will “unite for the first time to speak out about their experiences” on Monday. The women will call for Congress to investigate the sexual misconduct claims against the president, according to a press release.
Trump has denied the claims made by the women. In late 2016, a tape of Trump saying that he could get away with sexually assaulting women was published by the Washington Post.