Seems like the pressure from the top Democrats has finally taken its toll as Senator Al Franken from Minnesota gave Thursday his first speech since announcing his resignation, which comes as a result of the sexual harassment charges made against him.
According to NBC News, Al Franken said that there is much more work to be done on key policy issues while thanking his family and staff for their support.
“I may be leaving the Senate but I’m not giving up my voice,” he told his fellow Minneapolitans implying that he will still continue fighting for economic and climate issues as he did during his time in office.
More than two dozen Democratic Senators called for Franken’s resignation after sexual misconduct allegation where multiple women claimed that the former “Saturday Night Live” comedian had touched or groped them inappropriately, The Hill Reports.
The Senator then gave a final floor speech in the Senate where he announced that he would resign while denying some of the sexual harassment charges against him, calling them false. He added in his speech that he was going to step down on January 2.
Mark Dayton, the Governor of Minnesota, appointed Lieutenant Governor Tina Smith as the person to replace Franken who is leaving partway through his second term. Franken said she was “worthy of the incredible support that I’ve received.”
In a poll that was conducted regarding whether Franken should resign, more then half of the Minnesotans thought that Franken should stay at his position, where 42 percent thought that he should resign over the allegations.
“Serving the people of Minnesota in the U.S. Senate has been the honor of my life,” Franken said on the floor of the Senate ending the speech with “I am here tonight to say, ‘Thank you.'”
However, he also pointed out that there was a lot left to be done.
“We still have a lot of work to do together on issues ranging from net neutrality to climate change. We still have to be ready to speak out for economic justice and to defend the truth,” he said.
Franken also took the opportunity to express his gratitude for his wife’s support.
“Whatever it is that we do next we will do it together. While I can never thank her enough for her love and support, I am willing to spend the rest of my life trying, honey.”
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