Sen. Al Franken Resigns; Wisconsin Sen. Called For Resignation

A day after Wisconsin Democratic State Sen. Tammy Baldwin joined called for Minnesota Senator Al Franken to resign, Franken officially announced his resignation to on the senate floor Thursday.

In a Patch.com report out of Minnesota, Franken announced his resignation while also taking a parting shot at Republicans and Donald Trump.

"In the coming weeks I will be resigning as a member of the United States Senate," Franken said from the Senate floor Thursday. "There is some irony that I am leaving while a man who bragged on tape about his history of sexual assault sits in the Oval Office, and a man who preyed on young girls runs for Senate with the full support of his party."

Baldwin made her position public on Wednesday as 32 Democratic senators, 13 women and 19 men, urged Franken to resign as allegations continued to mount. Republican Sen. Susan Collins also called on Franken to quit.

According to Minnesota Patch, allegations against Franken began to come out in November when radio host Leeann Tweeden accused him of groping her during a USO event in 2006. He later apologized for his behavior and said he "let a lot of people down." He had also agreed to participate in a Senate ethics committee investigation into his alleged conduct.

As Baldwin called for Franken to resign, Gov. Scott Walker was reportedly staying away from commenting on Franken.

According to a CBS Minnesota report, Walker refused to comment Friday on allegations of sexual misconduct lodged against President Donald Trump and Minnesota Sen. Al Franken, even though he’s called for Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore to step aside.

Campaign Donations Sent To Charities

According to a RightWisconsin article, Wisconsin Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin had been a major recipient of Franken's campaign donations, receiving $10,000 in the current election cycle and another $5,000 in the 2012 election cycle.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee has called on Baldwin to return the money she received from Franken and his PAC.

"After today's shocking revelations regarding Senator Al Franken's behavior towards women, Tammy Baldwin must denounce her Democrat colleague and return campaign donations she received from him."

On Nov. 16, Baldwin, said she was donating her Franken money to an initiative for women veterans.
According to the same publication, First District Congressional candidate Randy Bryce published two tweets in favor of Franken, the politician, on the same day the scandal broke.

Although Bryce had yet to issue a statement regarding the approximately $1,500 in funds from a political action committee supported by Franken, the Democratic Congressional Committee issued a statement, saying,

"All of the House Democratic Challengers who received donations from Senator Franken are already donating the money to local charities."

Watch Now: Al Franken Resigns Amid Sexual Harassment Allegations

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