All eyes on Sen. Al Franken, who may resign because of sexual misconduct allegations

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Minnesota Democratic Senator Al Franken says he knows he “let a lot of people down” – his constituents, colleagues and staff – in the face of sexually inappropriate behavior. He’s vowing to regain their trust.
AP

WASHINGTON — Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., will take the Senate floor at 11:45 Thursday morning where he may announce his resignation after more than a half dozen women came forward with allegations that he touched them improperly or made unwanted sexual advances.

Many of the allegations predate Franken’s career in the Senate, but he had already apologized and said he would “gladly cooperate” with a Senate Ethics Committee investigation of his behavior.

TV host Leeann Tweeden made the first allegations against Franken last month, and Franken’s Democratic colleagues appeared to accept his apology and endorsement of the ethics probe. But as additional allegations emerged, Franken’s support became tenuous, and on Wednesday dozens of Democratic senators — led by Democratic women — called for him to resign.

The latest report, which came from Politico, was based on an unidentified former congressional aide who said Franken tried to forcibly kiss her after her boss had left a broadcast studio. As she was collecting her belongings, the woman said she turned around to find Franken at her. As she ducked, she says he told her: “It’s my right as an entertainer.”

Franken, who was deferential to and apologized for his conduct to his first accuser, Tweeden, had a different response to the latest account. In a statement, Franken initially said the idea he would say such a thing was “preposterous.” 

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called Franken shortly after the Politico story broke on Wednesday; and the two had several conversations throughout the day, including with the senator and his wife at Schumer’s apartment in Washington, according to a Senate aide who was not authorized to speak publicly.

The female Democratic women of the Senate had been talking among themselves prior to the latest revelations and decided that, if another accuser came forward, it would likely trigger their calls for resignation, the aide said. That process began within hours of the news report with a Facebook post by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York; and after seven Democratic women had come forward, a number of male senators joined in. By the end of the day, a majority of the Democratic caucus in the Senate had called for Franken to step down. 

Franken’s predicament is the product of a national conversation about sexual harassment that’s swept from Hollywood to Washington D.C. Congress has been under scrutiny for failing to oust lawmakers as quickly as corporate America has penalized male executives accused of harassment. Female lawmakers including Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., have led the charge, claiming that congressional rules and culture have protected harassers from public scrutiny and discouraged their victims from coming forward.

With their unified condemnation of Franken, Democrats are also seeking to draw a contrast with Republicans who may soon be joined in the Senate by accused child molester Roy Moore, the GOP candidate for the Alabama Senate seat vacated by Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions. While many Republicans, including Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., have said they believe Moore’s accusers, this week Trump endorsed Moore and the Republican National Committee gave him a cash infusion ahead of a Dec. 12 special election.

Further, Trump himself stands accused of similar behavior by a dozen women who came forward during the 2016 campaign with tales of groping and forced sexual encounters. 

Franken was elected to the Senate in 2008 by only a 312-vote margin that was disputed in the courts for months. Franken was a writer and cast member for Saturday Night Live for two decades, and during his first Senate campaign he repeatedly had to address lewd comedy pieces he had written or performed in.

Once he got to the Senate, Franken kept a more serious profile, rarely stopping in the hallways to chat up reporters or providing comedic relief at hearings. More recently he had become an outspoken critic of Trump and a tough questioner of his administration officials, including delivering a sharp cross-examination of Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions about misleading comments Sessions made about a 2016 meeting with then-Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak. 

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