**Written by Doug Powers

You knew something like this was in the works when Al Franken took the “delayed resignation” angle. Pump the brakes!

At least four senators are urging Al Franken to reconsider resigning, including two who issued statements calling for the resignation two weeks ago and said they now feel remorse over what they feel was a rush to judgment.

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), who urged Franken not to step down to begin with — at least not before he went through an Ethics Committee investigation — said the Minnesota senator was railroaded by fellow Democrats.

“What they did to Al was atrocious, the Democrats,” said West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin in an interview for POLITICO’s Off Message podcast to post on Tuesday.

Sen. Pat Leahy is among Dems who agree with Manchin. The patriarchy has spoken!

If Franken were to stay, an apology/explanation to a woman would be in order… again:

Franken’s unusual timeline — in his departure announcement he said he’d go “in the coming weeks,” without setting a date — has fed the fleeting hopes that there’s still time to reverse course. However, Tina Smith, Minnesota’s Democratic lieutenant governor, was named last week as his appointed successor.

She’ll just have to wait and see if Franken gets an SNL guest-hosting offer worthy of following through with the resignation.

**Written by Doug Powers

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