Senator Al Franken is expected to announce on Thursday whether he would resign after calls for his resignation gained momentum on Wednesday, his office said. As allegations of sexual misconduct continue to appear, thirty-two Democratic senators called on the Minnesota Democrat to quit.
“While Senator Franken is entitled to have the Ethics Committee conclude its review, I believe it would be better for our country if he sent a clear message that any kind of mistreatment of women in our society isn’t acceptable by stepping aside to let someone else serve,” Senator Kirsten Gillibrand wrote.
Thirteen female and nineteen male senators, with Bob Casey being the first one to do so, called on Franken to resign on Wednesday afternoon.
“I consider Senator Franken a dear friend and greatly respect his accomplishments, but he has a higher obligation to his constituents and the Senate, and he should step down immediately,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said.
Franken’s office said in a tweet the same evening that no final decision had been made by the senator, who they said was “talking to his family.”
Franken is currently being investigated by the Senate Ethics Committee after accounts describing him making sexual advances came to light. Franken has repeatedly apologized about behavior that he said “crossed a line” for some women, adding that any inappropriate behavior was unintentional.
The latest accusation against him came on Wednesday from a woman claiming Franken tried to forcibly kiss her after a taping of his radio show in 2006. In a statement released afterwards, Franken denied the allegations, saying they were “categorically not true and the idea that I would claim this as my right as an entertainer is preposterous.”
The senator added that he was looking forward to “fully cooperating with the ongoing ethics committee investigation.”
The calls for the Minnesota senator to resign come only a day after Democratic Representative John Conyers, who has also been accused of sexual harassment, announced he would retire immediately.
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