Former Sen. Al Franken resigned in late 2017 after multiple women came forward and accused him of unwanted touching and kissing. One of the women, Leeann Tweeden, even had photographic evidence to support her claims.
On Jul. 22, the New Yorker came out with a lengthy article titled The Case of Al Franken that documented the sexual assault accusations made just a year and a half earlier.
Seven current and former senators, including Senator Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) and Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), came forward and stated their regret for calling on Franken to resign. Presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg has also stated that he “would not have applied that amount of pressure” to Franken’s resignation.
When asked if he regretted his decision to step down as Senator in 2017 he replied “Oh, yeah. Absolutely.”
Progressives were divided over the article when it came out on Jul. 22. One liberal pundit and Minneapolis resident tweeted in response to the piece: “whatever sympathy you feel for Franken, please spare a thought today for all the women who see Mayer’s piece and decide again that the story of the powerful man who made them feel cheap and small isn’t worth telling; he is more important than she is.”
Now, Al Franken is 68 years old and lives in congressional district 5 which is represented by Ilhan Omar. Franken’s website is still active and on it he states “also, Trump. Since I left, I’ve had so many folks ask me to re-enter the fray. Fray, here I am!”
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Megan Olson
Megan Olson is a 2020 graduate of the University of Minnesota with degrees in political science and history. She works in public affairs in addition to serving on the Legislative Advisory Council for School District 196. She is also on the school board for FIT academy, a charter school in Apple Valley.
