Update 12/7/17: Shortly before Noon EST on Thursday, December 7, Sen. Al Franken announced that he would resign from his seat in the Senate.
While Franken notably said that he believed “some of the allegations against [him] are simply not true,” and claimed he might’ve remembered events differently, he said that he still decided it was best to resign.
During his speech, Franken noted what he said was the “irony” of him resigning while allegations against President Donald Trump for harassment and assault are also well-documented.
Original story: Coinciding with the most recent allegations against Al Franken, the Senator’s office has announced that he will be speaking on Thursday. While the topic has yet to be announced, some Democratic senators are speculating that Franken will resign, according to CNN.
So far, seven women in total have accused Franken of sexual misconduct. Most recently, Politico reported that Franken tried to force himself onto an unnamed woman. The woman said that Franken tried to kiss her after a taping of his radio show and said it was his “right as an entertainer” to do so. Franken denied the allegation.
Senator Franken will be making an announcement tomorrow. More details to come.
— Sen. Al Franken (@SenFranken) December 6, 2017
At first, only a few Franken’s colleagues spoke out about the alleged incidents. After the most recent news, some senators, like Kirsten Gillibrand from New York, told the Chicago Tribune that “enough is enough.”
She went on to say that “we need to draw a line in the sand and say none of it is OK, none of it is acceptable and we, as elected leaders, should absolutely be held to a higher standard.”
This follows news that John Conyers, a Democratic Representative from Michigan, announced yesterday that he was retiring following his own accusations of sexual harassment.
(Photo Credits: Cover)