{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.merkley.senate.gov/news/in-the-news/senate-dem-call-for-trump-resignation-boils-down-to-fundamental-accountability", "Senate Dem: Call for Trump resignation boils down to \u2018fundamental accountability\u2019", "2017-12-12", "2017", "2017-12", "Democrat", "House", "OR", "Jeff Merkley", "M001176", "www.merkley.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Senate Dem: Call for Trump resignation boils down to \u2018fundamental accountability\u2019 \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nTuesday, December 12, 2017\r\n\r\n\t\n\r\n\r\n\r\n  \r\n    By:\u00a0\r\n    JOHN BOWDEN\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nOregon Sen.\u00a0Jeff Merkley\u00a0(D) on Tuesday reiterated his call for\u00a0President Trump's resignation, explaining on CNN that the women who are accusing Trump should be treated the same as other victims of sexual misconduct.\r\nMerkley told CNN's \"New Day\" that Trump's accusers should be heard and have their chance to tell their stories.\r\n\"I think we should give full opportunity for these women who the president completely discounted and said are inauthentic, unbelievable, never happened. It's only fair that we give them the full chance to tell their story before the American people,\" Merkley said.\r\nWhen pressed by\u00a0host\u00a0Alisyn Camerota on why he would call for the president's resignation before hearing the women speak, Merkley responded that it came down to \"accountability.\"\r\n\"Well, it's fundamental accountability,\" Merkley responded. \"Alisyn, there were over 40 senators that said it was the right thing for Sen. [Al] Franken [D-Minn.] to step down. But if you believe that that's the case, wouldn't you also believe that it's the right thing for the president to step down? Who has a far more serious set of stories.\"\r\n\"He's grabbed women's butts, he's grabbed their breasts, he's grabbed their genitals. He's bragged about it in a variety of forms,\" Merkley continued. \"It's just a horrendous list of treatment of women, and this is why if you called for Franken to step down, don't you\u00a0have to also say\u00a0it's the right thing for the president to step down?\"\r\nMerkley\u00a0joined several other Democratic senators\u00a0this week in calling for Trump's resignation, including Sens.\u00a0Kirsten Gillibrand\u00a0(D-N.Y.), and fellow Oregon Sen.\u00a0Ron Wyden\u00a0(D).\r\nWyden on Monday called for a congressional investigation into the multiple accusations by women of sexual assault and misconduct against the president.\r\n\u201cThese women are right,\u201d Wyden wrote Monday. \u201cIf\u00a0@realDonaldTrump\u00a0won't resign, Congress must investigate allegations by many, many women that he sexually assaulted and harassed them. No one is above the law.\u201d\r\n\r\n \r\n           \r\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.merkley.senate.gov/news/in-the-news/senate-dem-call-for-trump-resignation-boils-down-to-fundamental-accountability"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.137392293661833, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}