Democrats tell scandal-hit Franken to quit US Senate

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US Senator Al Franken's career was on the brink Wednesday after more than half of his fellow Senate Democrats demanded his departure over multiple claims of sexual misconduct against him.

Franken has acknowledged misconduct with at least one accuser. He apologized last month and vowed to work to regain the trust of his colleagues and voters.

But with six other women now reportedly coming forward to accuse Franken of touching them inappropriately, and the issue of sexual harassment reverberating throughout Washington, a chorus of Democratic senators said it was time for him to go.

Journalists wait outside the office of Senator Al Franken on Capitol Hill in Washington, US, December 6, 2017. /Reuters Photo

They include a dozen female and 17 male Democrats, among them the Senate's top Democrat Chuck Schumer who heaped major pressure on Franken by issuing a statement saying "he should step down immediately." It marked a dramatic and sudden show of unity against one of their own in the 100-member chamber.

Two other Senate Democrats stopped short of openly demanding Franken's resignation, but said he should be held accountable and that sexual harassment should not be tolerated.

"We must commit to zero tolerance," Senator Heidi Heitkamp said in a tweet. "And that means Senator Franken should step down."

As calls for the 66-year-old Minnesota lawmaker's resignation mounted, Franken's office said the senator would make an announcement Thursday, although no details were provided.

"I think he will do the right thing and resign," said House Democrat Keith Ellison, a close Franken friend in the Minnesota congressional delegation.

US Senator Al Franken walks out to speak to the media outside his office on Capitol Hill in Washington, US, November 27, 2017. /Reuters Photo

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand's Facebook post appeared to be the opening Senate salvo against Franken Wednesday, as she declared that the nation – and Congress – faced a "moment of reckoning" regarding sexual misconduct.

"We should demand the highest standards, not the lowest, from our leaders," she said. "While Senator Franken is entitled to have the Ethics Committee conclude its review, I believe it would be better for our country if he sent a clear message that any kind of mistreatment of women in our society isn't acceptable by stepping aside to let someone else serve."

'Tip of iceberg'

The pressure comes just one day after Democrat John Conyers, the longest serving member of Congress, left the House of Representatives after several female former staffers accused him of sexual misconduct.

And it follows a wave of accusations of harassment against titans in the worlds of entertainment, the media and politics, which began with claims targeting movie mogul Harvey Weinstein earlier this year.

US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand calls for Al Franken's resignation on Facebook. /Facebook Screenshot

As a consequence of the unfolding scandals, the Senate and House both voted to make anti-harassment training mandatory for all lawmakers and staff.

The issue was pushed to the top of America's headlines again Wednesday when Time magazine named as Person of the Year a group of "silence breakers" who came forward in 2017 to publicly expose patterns of sexual harassment, assault and even rape by some of society's most powerful public figures.

Senator Bernie Sanders, who ran for the Democratic presidential nomination last year and is considered a possible Trump rival in 2020, said it was important to finally be addressing sexual misconduct. "But the conversation we are having now is only the tip of the iceberg," he said.

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Source(s): AFP