Female senators called on Al Franken to resign from office amid sexual misconduct claims.

Image via Senate Democrats/Flickr (CC-BY)

9 women senators call for Al Franken to resign

An investigation is already underway.

 

Ana Valens

IRL

Posted on Dec 6, 2017   Updated on May 22, 2021, 8:51 am CDT

Over the last few weeks, multiple women have forward to say Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) has groped or forcibly kissed them. And now, one by one, female senators are turning to Twitter to demand Franken resign from office.

The posts, which started around 11:30am ET Wednesday and quickly went viral, point to his mistreatment of women and that he’s unfit to serve. Among the women, all of whom are Democrats, who asked for his resignation: Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Miss.), Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Cali.), Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wa.), Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), and Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (N.D).

“The allegations against Sen. Franken describe behavior that cannot be tolerated,” Gillibrand said. “While he’s entitled to an Ethics Committee hearing, I believe he should step aside to let someone else serve.”

Hirono particularly stressed that she considered Franken a friend, but ultimately believes he should leave Congress amid the allegations.

“I’ve struggled with this decision because he’s been a good Senator and I consider him a friend,” Hirono also tweeted. “But that cannot excuse his behavior and his mistreatment of women.”

Male senators and DNC chairman Tom Perez also called on Franken to resign, noting that the Democrats must play a major role in “building a culture of trust and respect for women in every industry and workplace.”

The Senate Ethics Committee is currently investigating claims of Franken’s sexual misconduct. Franken is expected to resign from office before the committee announces its conclusions, however, now that he is being publicly called out by his colleagues.

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*First Published: Dec 6, 2017, 11:57 am CST