Recently colleagues have called for Sen. Al Franken, D-Minnesota, to resign.He announced Thursday he would be doing so "in the coming weeks."
Franken's announcement comes on the heels of allegations made by at least seven women that he groped or tried to kiss them forcibly in the past. The senator from Minnesota is the second Democrat in the legislative branch to announce his resignation this week.The first was Rep. John Conyers, who represented Michigan's 13th District.
In his remarks from the Senate floor, Franken said serving as senator has been the greatest honor of his life. He also said he felt nothing he's done has brought dishonor to the institution. He said some allegations made against him were untrue, and he remembered other incidents differently.
He also took a jab at President Trump and Alabama Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore.
"I, of all people, am aware that there is some irony in the fact that I am leaving while a man who has bragged on tape about his history of sexual assault sits in the Oval Office," Franken said. "And a man who has repeatedly preyed on young girls campaigns for the Senate with the full support of his party," Franken said.
Jesse Naranjo
