Democratic lawmakers are rapidly pulling their support for Sen. Al Franken after a seventh woman has come forward accusing the Minnesota Democrat of sexual misconduct.
Franken, who has denied the latest accusation by a former Democratic congressional aide that he attempted to forcibly kiss her in 2006, will make a statement Thursday, the Associated Press reported.
Last week, the Senate Ethics Committee confirmed that it had launched a probe into the allegations against Franken, who has said he’d cooperate with the investigation.
Franken has told reporters over the past few weeks that he was “tremendously sorry,” and had “let a lot of people down” after several women accused him of sexual misconduct in separate events over the years.
The allegations against Franken began in mid-November, when Los Angeles radio anchor Leeann Tweeden accused him of forcibly kissing and groping her during a 2006 USO tour. Several other allegations followed, including a woman who says that Franken put his hand on her buttocks in 2010 during a photo op at the Minnesota State Fair. Two women, who asked to remain anonymous, have told the Huffington Post that Franken squeezed their buttocks at political events during his first campaign for the Senate in 2008. A fourth woman, an Army veteran, alleged Franken cupped her breast during a photo on a USO tour in 2003.
Franken has apologized for his behavior, but has also disputed some of the allegations.
By early afternoon Wednesday, at least a dozen Democratic senators and other top leaders were calling for Franken to resign. They include:
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