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Franken Spokesperson Says Embattled Senator Won’t Resign

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A spokesperson for Sen. Al Franken (D., Minn.) said Saturday that the embattled lawmaker will not resign after admitting to a past act of sexual misconduct.

Leeann Tweeden, who now works as a radio news anchor in Los Angeles, wrote an article Thursday stating Franken aggressively kissed her without permission while they rehearsed for a USO skit in 2006. Her piece also included a photo of Franken with his hands over her breasts while she slept.

Franken apologized—while adding he remembered the rehearsal portion differently—and senators on both sides of the aisle have condemned his actions and called for an ethics investigation. Tweeden said she was still angry over Franken’s actions but accepted his apology and said she didn’t feel Franken should resign.

The Star-Tribune, Minnesota’s largest newspaper, reported it reached out to a Franken staffer to see if he would resign, and the staffer said no:

Asked Saturday whether Franken would resign, a spokesperson for the senator responded: “No.”

“He is spending time with his family in Washington, D.C., and will be through the Thanksgiving holiday,” the staffer said by text, “and he’s doing a lot of reflecting.”

Franken is one of the leading opponents in Congress of President Donald Trump’s administration, and his actions have stirred a debate among progressives over whether someone of his stature and influence should step down.

Franken’s fellow Democrats quickly condemned his actions. One congressional candidate said she was forwarding $15,000 in Franken donations to a charitable organization, and both the Minnesota party chairman and Franken’s colleague, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, repeated the call for an ethics investigation.

“This should not have happened to Leeann Tweeden. I strongly condemn this behavior and the Senate Ethics Committee must open an investigation,” Klobuchar said.

But there was no widespread call for Franken’s resignation, in contrast to sexual harassment allegations that roiled the state Capitol over the past week. More than a dozen state Democratic leaders pressed Democratic state Sen. Dan Schoen to quit after he was accused of unwanted advances on a candidate, including groping her buttocks. Schoen has refused.

Franken won’t face voters again until 2020.

Gov. Mark Dayton, who earlier this week said any legislator who committed sexual harassment or assault should resign, on Thursday said the looming ethics investigation was the proper recourse for Franken. Nearly every other top Democrat said the same, with the notable exceptions of state Auditor Rebecca Otto and Rep. Erin Murphy, both Democrats running for governor who called for him to resign.

By: David Rutz
(Washington Free Beacon)

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