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Israeli Newspaper Tweets US Senator Al Franken is 'Gay'

© AP Photo / J. Scott ApplewhiteMinnesota Senator Al Franken
Minnesota Senator Al Franken - Sputnik International
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Israeli newspaper Haaretz has earned a reputation as publication of repute. That’s why Thursday’s tweet – promptly deleted – referring to Al Franken as a "Gay Jewish US Senator" was so surprising.

Al Franken is many things. A lovable comedian who spent nearly two decades writing and performing for Saturday Night Live. A liberal political activist. A prolific writer of screenplays and nonfiction, including "Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations."

Currently, Franken is a junior US Senator for Minnesota, and on Thursday, he expressed support for the Iran nuclear deal.

"It isn’t a perfect agreement. But it is a strong one," he wrote in an editorial for CNN.

One thing Al Franken is not, is gay. But, could have fooled Haaretz. Here’s how they tweeted Franken’s announcement.

© Twitter/ScreenshotThe tweet has since been deleted
The tweet has since been deleted - Sputnik International
The tweet has since been deleted

It’s unclear how the Israeli newspaper made the mistake. A number of US politicians have faced rumors of homosexuality. Most recently, former Congressman Aaron Schock. Franken, a longtime defender of LGBT rights, has never been the subject of such speculation, and would probably shrug it off if he were.

He’s also been married to the same woman for the past forty years.

It’s possible that Haaretz was confusing Franken with his alter ego on SNL, Stuart Smalley, the ever-upbeat, ever-inspirational – though completely unlicensed – motivational therapist.

Plus, the detail is entirely unrelated. Even if Haaretz was correct in assuming that Franken is gay, his sexual orientation adds nothing to the Iran nuclear deal conversation.

With Twitter’s 140-character limit, surely there’s a more relevant adjective to include.

The paper was quick to delete the tweet, replacing it with an announcement of Game of Thrones producer Carolyn Strauss' support for the Iran deal. Strauss, for the record, is also not gay.

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