Washington
Yielding to pressure from other Democrats, Franken said he will leave Capitol Hill in the “coming weeks,” but he continued to deny allegations of groping and unwanted advances from more than a half-dozen women.
The former rising Democratic star used his resignation speech to take aim at President Donald Trump and Alabama Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore, who have not been forced aside despite facing arguably more serious allegations of sexual misconduct.
“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 and a man who has repeatedly preyed on young girls campaigns for the Senate with the full support of his party,” Franken said in a speech on the Senate floor.
The resignation of not one but two prominent Democratic lawmakers over allegations of inappropriate behavior points to the wider reckoning taking place around the country as women come forward to accuse powerful men of misconduct. Members of Congress have spent the last month grappling with how best to respond to allegations of harassment against colleagues and criticism of the way workplace complaints are handled in the legislative branch.
On the Senate floor, Franken called the reckoning an “important moment” that is “long overdue,” but he denied engaging in behavior that disrespected or took advantage of women.
“I know there’s been a very different picture of me painted over the last few weeks, but I know who I really am,” he said. “I know in my heart that nothing I have done as a senator — nothing — has brought dishonor on this institution.”
He is expected to make his resignation effective at the end of the month, according to a person familiar with his decision-making. This timetable could allow him to cast several consequential votes on the Republican tax bill, funding the government and possibly the fate of “dreamers,” immigrants brought to the country illegally as children.
In a statement, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said Franken made “the right decision” and praised him as a friend who worked “for years on behalf of the people of Minnesota.”
She added, “In every workplace in America, including the U.S. Senate, we must confront the challenges of harassment and misconduct. Nothing is easy or pleasant about this, but we all must recognize that our workplace cultures — and the way we treat each other as human beings — must change.”
Franken faced a cascade of opposition the day after Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., ended his 52-year career in Congress over accusations he harassed female aides, including propositioning them for sex. It is unclear whether the resignations will increase pressure on accused offenders in the House, including Reps. Blake Farenthold, R-Texas, and Ruben Kihuen, D-Nev., to step down.
Once Franken makes his resignation official, Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton, a Democrat, will pick a replacement to serve until a November 2018 special election. Whoever wins the special election will have to run again in 2020 to begin a new term if they desire to stay in the Senate.
In a statement on Thursday, Dayton extended “my deepest regrets” to Franken’s accusers while saying his heart “goes out to Al and his family during this difficult time.”
“I have not yet decided on my appointment to fill this upcoming vacancy. I expect to make and announce my decision in the next couple of days,” he stated.
Franken suggested on Thursday that he will be replaced by a woman. Minnesota’s Democratic Farmer-Labor Party has a large and largely female bench of up-and-coming candidates, three of whom are seeking the party’s 2018 gubernatorial nomination.
“Minnesotans deserve a senator who can focus all her energy on addressing the challenges they face every day,” he said in his speech.
The drive to purge Franken was a dramatic indication of the political toxicity that has grown around the issue of sexual harassment in recent months. It also stood as a stark — and deliberate — contrast with how the Republicans are handling Moore’s candidacy in Alabama, where voters will cast ballots next week in a special Senate election
Multiple women have accused Moore of pursuing them romantically when they were teenagers and he was in his 30s. One of the women, Leigh Corfman, alleged Moore touched her sexually when she was 14.
Although most of the alleged actions took place before he was a senator, Franken was becoming a growing liability to his party, and Republicans had seized upon the allegations against him. Doug Jones, Moore’s Democratic opponent in Alabama, also had called for him to step aside.
At Moore’s Tuesday night rally, conservative pundit Gina Loudon declared that Republicans did not need lectures on morality from Democrats who had struggled with their own sex scandals, and cited both Conyers and Franken.
Trump, himself the target of multiple allegations of sexual assault, has enthusiastically endorsed Moore, and the Republican Party is once again pouring money into the race after initially pulling back. Leading Senate Republicans have also toned down their negative comments about Moore, saying his fate should be up to the voters of Alabama and — if he is elected — the Senate Ethics Committee.
Democrats said they agreed with Franken’s decision and called on Republicans to reject members of their party facing similar accusations.
“Now, Republicans must join Democrats in holding their own accountable,” Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., said. “The American people should take notice of national Republicans’ support for a morally degraded Senate candidate in Alabama and a president in the Oval Office facing equally credible charges.”