Al Franken Makes Announcement While Under Pressure to Resign Over Allegations

Sen. Al Franken is set to address the mounting sexual misconduct allegations against him, as well as his future as a Minnesota senator, in an announcement on the Senate floor Thursday.

Many, including some of Franken’s fellow senators, expect the comedian-turned-lawmaker to resign, despite a Wednesday evening tweet from Franken’s official account that said “any reports of a final decision are inaccurate.”

Franken came under increasing pressure to leave office after he was accused of sexual misconduct by a seventh woman on Wednesday. A group of at least 23 Democrats, including New York Sen. Kristen Gillibrand, called on Franken to resign after the new allegations surfaced. “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,” Gillibrand wrote in a Facebook post.

If Franken resigns, Minnesota will hold a special election to fill his vacant seat during the upcoming midterm elections. The winner of that election would finish out the rest of Franken’s term, which is set to expire in January 2021, and have the option to run to permanently fill his seat in 2020.

Watch Franken speak live at 11:45 a.m. ET in the video above.