Sen. John Kennedy didn’t mince words Monday about any colleagues accused of sexual misconduct: “They’re all pigs.”
The Louisiana Republican was speaking with reporters in the Capitol as senators returned from Thanksgiving break.
Kennedy stopped short of saying that Senate candidate Roy Moore of Alabama — who has been accused of pursuing relationships with teenagers when he was in his 30s, as well as assault — should be expelled from the Senate if he wins. But Kennedy said an ethics investigation would be appropriate, as it is in the case of Democratic Sen. Al Franken of Minnesota, who has been accused of groping women.
If the accusations prove true, then “there is no excuse for this,” Kennedy said. “None. Zero. Nada. You pretty it up all you want to, it’s still a pig.”
There may be differences in the allegations, he added, but none of this behavior should be tolerated.
“There are gradations of pigs,” Kennedy said. “There are major-league pigs; there are minor-league pigs. There are amateur pigs. There are first-time pigs. There are experienced pigs. But they’re all pigs.”
But he said he wouldn’t “prejudge” any investigation.
“I’m going to wait to see the facts,” Kennedy said. “There is going to be an ethics investigation of Senator Franken. If Mr. Moore is elected, there’s going to be an investigation there. And I don’t know any of these people involved, and I’m going to wait and see what the investigation determines those facts to be.”
