Al Franken Resignation: Speech, Successor, and Regrets

Al Franken’s resignation from the U.S. Senate took effect on January 2, 2018, three weeks after Los Angeles radio anchor Leeann Tweeden accused the Minnesota Democrat of forcibly kissing and groping her during a 2006 USO tour. Seven more women came forward with similar allegations, more than three dozen Democratic senators publicly demanded he step aside, and Franken announced from the Senate floor on December 7, 2017, that he would go. The Senate Ethics Committee had opened a preliminary inquiry but never completed one. Several of the senators who pushed him out have since said they regret doing so.

The Allegations That Started It

On November 16, 2017, Tweeden, then a news anchor at KABC in Los Angeles, published an account alleging that during rehearsals for a skit Franken had written for a 2006 USO tour, he grabbed the back of her head and “aggressively stuck his tongue in my mouth.” She also released a photograph taken on a military transport plane showing Franken with his hands positioned near her breasts while she slept in a protective vest.¹

Franken apologized, said he felt “disgusted” looking at the photo, and asked the Senate Ethics Committee to investigate him. He said he did not remember the rehearsal the way Tweeden did but agreed the photograph was wrong because she could not consent.²

Over the next three weeks, seven more women came forward. Four were identified, four were not. The accounts largely described unwanted touching or kissing at photo opportunities, campaign events, and radio show tapings:³

Lindsay Menz said Franken grabbed her buttocks during a 2010 Minnesota State Fair photo.
Two anonymous women alleged groping at a 2007 campaign event and a 2008 fundraiser.
Stephanie Kemplin said Franken groped her breast during a photo on a 2003 USO tour in Kuwait.
An anonymous New England elected official alleged an unwanted open-mouthed kiss after a 2006 radio taping.
An anonymous former congressional aide said Franken tried to forcibly kiss her after a 2006 radio taping.
Tina Dupuy said Franken grabbed and squeezed her waist at a 2009 inauguration media party.⁴

The last two accounts were published on the morning of December 6, 2017. The political pressure broke that same day.

How the Resignation Happened

The Senate Ethics Committee had opened a preliminary inquiry on November 30, 2017, but the investigation never advanced.⁵ On December 6, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York publicly called for Franken to resign. More than two dozen Democratic senators followed within hours.⁶

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called Franken that morning and told him he had to go, then met privately with Franken and his wife, Franni, at Schumer’s Washington apartment.⁷ Franken later said Schumer issued an ultimatum and refused his request for due process. A Schumer spokesperson confirmed the ultimatum.⁸ Congressional scholar Norman Ornstein said Schumer effectively told Franken to announce his resignation by 5 p.m. or face a caucus vote stripping him of his committee assignments.⁹

The timing mattered to Democratic strategists for a separate reason. Roy Moore, the Republican Senate candidate in Alabama, was then facing allegations of pursuing sexual relationships with teenage girls. Senior Democratic aides told NBC News that Franken’s continued presence “compromised our ability to communicate clearly against Republicans’ complicity in Moore’s candidacy.”¹⁰

What Franken Said on the Senate Floor

Franken announced his resignation on December 7, 2017. He denied several allegations outright, saying, “Some of the allegations against me are simply not true. Others, I remember very differently.” He said his early attempts to be respectful toward his accusers had created a “false impression” that he was admitting to all of the claims.¹¹

He also drew a direct contrast with two Republicans: “I, of all people, am aware that there is some irony in the fact that I am leaving while a man who has bragged on tape about his history of sexual assault sits in the Oval Office, and a man who has repeatedly preyed on young girls campaigns for the Senate with the full support of his party.”¹²

His resignation letter to Governor Mark Dayton set the effective time as noon Central on January 2, 2018.¹³

The Regrets That Followed

A July 2019 investigation by Jane Mayer in The New Yorker reported that seven current or former senators who had called for Franken to resign told her they regretted it:¹⁴

Patrick Leahy of Vermont called it “one of the biggest mistakes I’ve made” in 45 years in the Senate.
Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota said the decision was “made in the heat of the moment” and was the one she would take back.
Tammy Duckworth of Illinois said “due process didn’t happen” and the Ethics Committee “should have been allowed to move forward.”
Angus King of Maine called it “the political equivalent of capital punishment.”
Jeff Merkley of Oregon said he “took the judgment of my peers rather than independently examining the circumstances.”
Bill Nelson of Florida said he “realized almost right away I’d made a mistake.”
Tom Udall of New Mexico said Franken “had the right to be heard by an independent investigative body.”¹⁵

Dick Durbin, the number two Senate Democrat, separately told The New York Times he had “second thoughts.”¹⁶ Former Minority Leader Harry Reid called the resignation “unfair.”¹⁴ Franken told Mayer he “absolutely” regretted resigning and wished he had presented evidence to the Ethics Committee. Ornstein suggested the likely committee outcome would have been a letter of admonishment, not expulsion.⁹

Not everyone shifted. Gillibrand expressed no regret, saying, “There is no prize for someone who tries to hold accountable a powerful man who is good at his day job. But we should have the courage to do it anyway.”¹⁶ Writing in Forbes, Patricia Barnes argued Franken’s due process complaint had “no merit” because he chose to resign rather than wait out the Ethics Committee.¹⁷ New York Times columnist Michelle Goldberg, who had originally supported the resignation, later wrote that the absence of a “transparent, dispassionate” process “left lasting wounds,” while maintaining it remained “overwhelmingly likely” that some of Franken’s behavior left women “confused and humiliated.”¹⁸

Gillibrand paid a political price. Major Democratic donors, including Susie Tompkins Buell and George Soros, refused to fund her, with Soros accusing her of pushing Franken out to boost her own presidential ambitions.¹⁹ An internal memo from her 2020 campaign acknowledged first-quarter fundraising was “negatively affected” by the backlash. She dropped out polling near half a percent, though analysts said the Franken episode alone did not explain her weak support.²⁰

Who Replaced Him

Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton appointed Lieutenant Governor Tina Smith to the seat on December 13, 2017.²¹ She was sworn in January 3, 2018, the day after Franken’s resignation took effect.²² Smith won the November 2018 special election to serve the remainder of the term, defeating Republican Karin Housley,²³ and won a full six-year term in 2020 against Jason Lewis.²⁴

Where Franken Is Now

Franken has stayed publicly active as a writer and podcaster. His website describes him as a “writer, comedian, and former US Senator,” and he hosts The Al Franken Podcast, with episodes continuing into early 2026. He has also written for Rolling Stone.²⁵ In 2022 he said he was “considering running for office again,” and in 2025 he took an acting role in the Netflix production The Residence. As of 2026, no political comeback has materialized.²⁶

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NBC News. Sen. Al Franken Accused of Forcibly Kissing, Groping Woman
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Time. Leeann Tweeden Senator Al Franken Picture
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ABC News. Sen. Al Franken’s Accusers and Accusations Made
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Time. Al Franken Accusers
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Roll Call. Ethics Committee Opens Investigation Into Franken Allegations
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The Atlantic. Gillibrand Still Faces Questions About Al Franken
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Roll Call. Schumer Told Franken Wednesday Morning That He Needed to Go
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New York Daily News. Al Franken Was Pushed Out of Senate by Chuck Schumer in Secret Bedside Ultimatum
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PBS NewsHour. Why Former Sen. Al Franken Says He Regrets His Resignation
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NBC News. Democrats Turn on Franken to Get Moore
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Politico. Al Franken Resignation Speech Transcript Full Text
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ABC News. Senators Shying From Comparisons of Al Franken and Roy Moore
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CBS News. Al Franken Resignation Letter Minnesota
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The New Yorker. The Case of Al Franken
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The Guardian. Al Franken Resignation Senators Regret
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The New York Times. Al Franken Kirsten Gillibrand
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Forbes. For the Record Al Franken Got Due Process
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The New York Times. Michelle Goldberg Al Franken
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Politico. Al Franken Kirsten Gillibrand 2020
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NBC News. Ghost of Al Franken Mystery of Gillibrand Campaign’s Failure to Launch
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ABC News. Minnesota Lt. Gov. Tina Smith Named to Al Franken’s Seat
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MPR News. Al Franken Resigns
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Roll Call. Tina Smith Wins Minnesota Special Election for Franken Seat
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Business Insider. Minnesota Senate Race Tina Smith vs Jason Lewis 2020
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Al Franken Official Website. Al Franken
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EBSCO. Al Franken