Spokesperson: Despite Allegations Against Him, Franken Won’t Resign

Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., listens during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing for Colorado Supreme Court Justice Allison Eid, on her nomination to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit, on Capitol Hill, Wedn... Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., listens during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing for Colorado Supreme Court Justice Allison Eid, on her nomination to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit, on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2017 in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) MORE LESS
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Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) has no plans to resign after a radio host accused him of forcibly kissing and groping her years ago, according to a spokesperson.

“No,” a spokesperson for Franken told the Star Tribune on Saturday. “He is spending time with his family in Washington, D.C., and will be through the Thanksgiving holiday.”

According to the spokesperson, Franken is “doing a lot of reflecting.”

Leeann Tweeden, a Los Angeles anchor, on Thursday alleged that Franken “aggressively” kissed her while they were rehearsing for an USO tour in 2006 and later groped her while she was sleeping, an act documented in a photograph she posted.

Franken apologized to Tweeden in two separate statements, asked the Senate for an ethics investigation into himself and said he will “gladly cooperate” with such a probe. Senators in both parties joined his call for an investigation.

Tweeden said she did not come forward “to have him step down.”

“I think Al Franken does a lot of good things in the Senate, you know, I think that’s for the people of Minnesota to decide,” she said on Friday. “I just wanted him to understand what he did was wrong.”

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