Franken pledges to regain trust in Thanksgiving apology

Embattled Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.), who is facing a growing number of allegations of sexual misconduct, issued a new statement on Thursday promising to regain the trust of Minnesotans and apologizing for past behavior.

“I feel terribly that I’ve made some women feel badly and for that I am so sorry, and I want to make sure that never happens again,” Franken said in a Thanksgiving Day statement.

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“And let me say again to Minnesotans that I’m sorry for putting them through this and I’m committed to regaining their trust.”

Franken did not address in his new statement whether or not he planned to stay in office. A spokesperson for the senator told the Star Tribune on Thursday that Franken had no intentions to step down.

Franken also suggested on Thursday that some of his conduct with women might have been misjudged. 

“I’m a warm person; I hug people. I’ve learned from recent stories that in some of those encounters, I crossed a line for some women — and I know that any number is too many.”

The statement came a day after HuffPost reported that two women had accused him of groping them in 2008.

“It’s difficult to respond to anonymous accusers, and I don’t remember those campaign events,” Franken said in a statement to HuffPost regarding the allegations.

Last week, radio host Leeann Tweeden released a photo from 2006 of Franken grabbing at her breasts while she was sleeping. Tweeden also accused him of forcibly kissing her during a rehearsal for a USO show.

Her allegations sparked a call from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) for an Ethics Committee investigation into Franken.

Earlier this week, CNN reported that an additional woman had accused Franken of inappropriate behavior in 2010.

A recent poll found that only 22 percent of the people in Minnesota believe Franken should stay in office.

This story was updated at 9:56 p.m.