Franken: ‘Easier To Be Grateful This Thanksgiving’ After ‘Year Of Reflection’

Former Senator Al Franken, who resigned from the Senate last December after eight women accused him of sexual misconduct, posted a Thanksgiving note on his Facebook page about his “year of reflection.”

Franken wrote that he spent a lot of time over this past year “thinking about the broader conversation we’ve been having about the experience of women in this country.”

“I know that, for so many people, this issue raises a lot of powerful and painful feelings. This conversation can also be incredibly complicated,” Franken said. “I don’t think it’s my place to weigh in on all the debates – but I will continue to listen and learn.”

After last year’s Thanksgiving that “wasn’t much fun,” Franken said his “year of reflection” allowed him to “find it a lot easier to be grateful this Thanksgiving,” especially when it came to his supporters and his time as a senator when he “had the chance to help make a difference on issues [he cares] about.”

While Franken mentioned “a whole bunch of thrilling Democratic victories” in the midterm elections as another reason to celebrate, he also said there is “a whole lot to worry about when it comes to our country.”

“For me, and for so many of you, politics has always been about the improvement of people’s lives,” Franken said. “And there’s so much more work left to do.”

Although Franken said that he still misses “being in the fight every day,” he clarified that he is “certainly not running for anything.”

“I hope that, in the next year, I’ll have the chance to help make a difference again,” Franken said.