Progressive groups urged Sen. Al Franken to resign Monday, hours after a second woman came forward accusing the Minnesota Democrat of inappropriate groping.
Credo Action and Indivisible said Franken, who is expected to undergo a Senate Ethics Investigation, should step down.
“Sen. Al Franken had the chance last week to take full responsibility for past sexual harrassment, sexual assault and any other behavior that demeaned women. He failed to do so,” Credo Action said in a statement. “We believe that Sen. Franken should immediately resign from the U.S. Senate and that [Minnesota] Gov. Mark Dayton should appoint a progressive woman to replace him.”
Franken, a progressive leader in the Senate, came under fire last week when a Leeann Tweeden, a Los Angeles broadcaster, accused him of forcibly kissing her in 2006 before he was elected to the Senate. On Monday, a second woman, Lindsay Menz, told CNN that in 2010 Franken grabbed her bottom without her consent when they took a photo together and it left her feeling “gross.”
“We believe Lindsay Menz. We believe Leeann Tweeden. Senator @alfranken should be held accountable and he should resign,” Indivisible tweeted Monday.
Liberal commentator Sally Kohn joined the calls, tweeting Monday that it’s “time for Al Franken to go.”
Women’s rights group UltraViolet was the first to call for Franken’s resignation last week. They repeated their demand on Monday, calling Franken’s actions “deeply disturbing” and “completely unacceptable.”
“Sexual harassment and sexual assault have no place in any workplace and certainly not in the US Senate,” UltraViolet tweeted. “He should resign.”
We believe Lindsay Menz. We believe Leeann Tweeden. Senator @alfranken should be held accountable and he should resign.
— Indivisible Guide (@IndivisibleTeam) November 20, 2017
Time for Al Franken to go.
Wrong is wrong. And the Democrats need to show they strongly AND CONSISTENTLY stand for women’s rights.
— Sally Kohn (@sallykohn) November 20, 2017
Sexual harassment and sexual assault have no place in any workplace and certainly not in the US Senate. Senator Franken’s actions are deeply disturbing and completely unacceptable. He should resign. https://t.co/n3s0od0MIk
— UltraViolet (@UltraViolet) November 20, 2017
So far, none of Franken’s colleagues in the Senate have said he should resign, but are encouraging an investigation into the allegations of sexual misconduct.
Franken apologized to Tweeden and said his actions were meant to be funny, but weren’t. In response to Menz’s allegations, Franken said he felt “badly” and did not recall taking the photo. Franken doesn’t plan to resign, a spokesperson for the senator told the Minneapolis Star Tribune on Saturday.
“He is spending time with his family in Washington, D.C., and will be through the Thanksgiving holiday,” the spokesperson said, adding that Franken is “reflecting.”
