--- title: Al Franken Speaks Out About Sexual Harassment Allegations description: Franken told Minnesota media outlets he was ashamed and embarrassed, but looked forward to returning to the Senate Monday. canonical: https://time.com/5037332/al-franken-sexual-harassment-allegations-response/ author: Alana Abramson article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-11-26T21:00:10.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T18:21:01.492Z article:section: Politics og:title: 'I’m Embarrassed.' Al Franken Speaks Publicly About Sexual Harassment Allegations og:description: He says he will return to work on Monday og:url: https://time.com/5037332/al-franken-sexual-harassment-allegations-response/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt77092918b67365c0/6988e61afb4eacf3e889497d/al-franken-sexual-assault.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: Senate Energy Committee Holds Hearing On Recovery Hurricane Efforts In Puerto Rico And U.S. Virgin Islands og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 'I’m Embarrassed.' Al Franken Speaks Publicly About Sexual Harassment Allegations twitter:description: He says he will return to work on Monday twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt77092918b67365c0/6988e61afb4eacf3e889497d/al-franken-sexual-assault.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 'I’m Embarrassed and Ashamed.' Al Franken Speaks Publicly About Sexual Harassment Allegations > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. 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Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters.  by [Alana Abramson](https://time.com/author/alana-abramson/)  ## Alana Abramson Nov 26, 2017 9:00 PM UTC  Sen. Al Franken looks over his papers during a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on November 14, 2017 in Washington, DC. Sen. Al Franken looks over his papers during a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on November 14, 2017 in Washington, DC. Mark Wilson—Getty Images  by [Alana Abramson](https://time.com/author/alana-abramson/)  ## Alana Abramson Nov 26, 2017 9:00 PM UTC Minnesota Sen. Al Franken spoke publicly about the sexual harassment allegations against him Sunday, expressing shame and embarrassment, but remaining committed to his work in Congress. “I know I have a lot of work to do to regain the trust of the people I’ve let down, the people of Minnesota, my friends and colleagues, everyone who counts on me to be a champion for women,” Franken [told Minnesota newspaper the _Star Tribune_ Sunday, ](http://www.startribune.com/ashamed-franken-says-he-ll-return-to-work-on-monday/460108233/) describing himself as “embarrassed and ashamed.” He told the _Tribune_ he will return to work on Monday, and that he was looking forward to it. He also spoke on [Minnesota Public Radio](https://www.mprnews.org/story/2017/11/26/sen-al-franken-this-has-been-a-shock-to-me), saying that he had no intention of resigning from his role in the Senate. “I’m committed to working as hard as I can here in the Senate for the people of Minnesota. The ethics committee will be looking into all of this and I will work with them in any way I can,” he said. These were the first media interviews Franken has given since he has found himself ensconced in a wave of sexual harassment allegations from four different women. [Leeann Tweeden](http://time.com/5027428/leann-tweeden-senator-al-franken-picture/), a model, sportscaster and radio host wrote in a Nov. 16 blog post that she and Franken were on a USO tour in the Middle East in 2006 when he forced her to kiss him, and then groped her while she was asleep. Franken was not yet a senator at the time. Four days later, another woman, Lindsay Menz, [told CNN in an interview](http://time.com/5031492/al-franken-was-just-accused-of-inappropriate-touching-by-a-second-woman/) that Franken put his hand on her rear while taking a photograph with her at the Minnesota State Fair in 2010. Franken apologized to both Tweeden and Menz for the photographs, but said he recalled the incident with Tweeden differently, and does not remember taking the photograph with Menz, sentiments he conveyed again on Sunday. Franken has also joined his colleagues in calling for a Senate investigation into his conduct. On Nov. 22, _HuffPost_ [cited accounts](https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/al-franken-two-more-women-groping%5Fus%5F5a15a455e4b09650540ec295) from two more women who said Franken touched their butts during campaign events in 2007 and 2008\. “It’s difficult to respond to anonymous accusers, and I don’t remember those campaign events,” Franken told _HuffPost_ in a statement. Franken reiterated in his interview with the _Tribune_ that he did not remember the photographs and would never intentionally act like that. “I just recognize that I need to be more careful and a lot more sensitive in these situations,” he told the _Tribune_. Franken said he didn’t know if more women would come forward with allegations against him, adding that this entire experience has been a shock to him, and he has no recollection of women ever telling him he made them uncomfortable. “I’m someone who hugs people and I’ve learned from these stories that in some of these encounters I’ve crossed the line; I know that any number is too many,” Franken told MPR. “If they feel that this encounter — my embrace or something has been inappropriate, I respect their feelings about that. I think women need to be heard.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5037332/al-franken-sexual-harassment-allegations-response/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5037332/al-franken-sexual-harassment-allegations-response/"},"headline":"'I’m Embarrassed and Ashamed.' 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