The Franken Effect

Democrats accused of being bad boys step down. Republicans double down.

In 2018, Senator Al Franken resigned his post after multiple women accused him of “unwanted touching.” Radio personality Leean Tweeden alleged that in 2006, while on a USO tour, Franken kissed her during a rehearsal for a skit. In a blog post, she wrote that “he came at me, put his hand on the back of my head, mashed his lips against mine and aggressively stuck his tongue in my mouth.”

She paired the allegation with a photo from the rehearsal where Franken was holding his hands above her breasts (not touching her) while she was napping. Franken responded by saying “I certainly don’t remember the rehearsal for the skit in the same way, but I send my sincerest apologies to Leeann … As to the photo, it was clearly intended to be funny but wasn’t. I shouldn’t have done it.”

CNBC’s John Harwood pointed out that the photo was likely intended to be part of the shtick, a photo for the troops, and that Tweeden had not long before performed with Robin Williams and smacking his butt as part of the entertainment joke.

But this joke did not land.

Liberal groups called for Franken to resign

And he did.

Franken had asked for, and surely would have preferred, an appearance before the Senate Ethics Committee, but was not given one, and left his role entirely. All at the behest of his Democratic colleagues.