Al Franken, who resigned from the Senate in 2018 amid accusations of groping and forcibly kissing several women, spoke about the “creepiness” of Vice President Mike Pence during a podcast.
The former Democratic Minnesota senator, 68, hosted former Vice President Walter Mondale, 91, on his podcast, who served under President Jimmy Carter from 1977 to 1981. Mondale spoke about how he wasn’t quite sure what Pence’s role was in President Trump’s administration.
“Pence is in the White House, what he is doing there I don’t know,” Mondale said, pointing out how Pence, 60, is often seen standing behind Trump during events. “Look at this guy, that’s all he does. He walks up behind the president, stands at attention.”
Franken added to the former vice president’s comments, “There’s a creepiness to all of it.”
“Yeah. What’s he thinking? What is he doing?” Mondale said.
“He contributes to the creepiness, I would say,” Franken said.
Franken resigned from the Senate last year after radio host Leeann Tweeden accused Franken of forcibly kissing her when he was a comedian on a 2006 USO tour. A photo surfaced showing that Franken pantomimed touching her breasts while she was sleeping. Others also made similar allegations.
In recent months, Franken said he regrets resigning from the Senate amid pressure from his colleagues, and others in the Senate have agreed. Democratic Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy called it “one of the biggest mistakes I’ve made” during his decades of service. Other lawmakers spoke about the knee-jerk reaction and the lack of “due process” when considering the allegations. Former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said he wishes Franken would run again.
