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Senator Al Franken Resigns From Senate Amid Sexual Harassment Scandal

He said he was ‘shocked’ and ‘upset’ by the allegations against him.

Minnesota Senator Al Franken has announced he is resigning from his government position in the coming weeks amid multiple sexual harassment allegations.

After many women came forward with sexual misconduct allegations against powerful men, “the conversation turned to me,” Franken, 66, said while speaking out on the Senate floor this morning.

“Over the last few weeks, a number of women have come forward to talk about how they felt my actions had affected them. I was shocked. I was upset.

But in responding to their claims, I also wanted to be respectful of that broader conversation, because all women deserve to be heard and their experiences taken seriously. I think that was the right thing to do.”

“Some of the allegations against me are simply not true, others I remember very differently,” he continued. “I know in my heart that nothing I have done as a senator, nothing, has brought dishonor on this institution. And I am confident that the Ethics Committee would agree.”

“Nevertheless, today I am announcing that in the coming weeks, I will be resigning as a member of the United States Senate.”

On December 6, two thirds of Democrats in the Senate called for Franken to resign.

Last month, radio host Leeann Tweeden accused Franken of kissing and groping her without her consent on a USO tour in 2006.(The disgraced politician said he was “ashamed” of his actions.)

Melanie Morgan then accused him of “creepy behavior.”

More women have since come forward with similar accusations, leading to Franken’s resignation.