Schumer called, met with Franken and told him to resign

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Wednesday told Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) that he needed to resign after another woman came forward with sexual misconduct allegations.

A person familiar with their discussions said Schumer called Franken immediately after Politico published a story Wednesday detailing accusations from a former Congressional aide who said Franken attempted to force a kiss on her in 2006, before he was elected to the U.S. Senate. The source said Schumer made the call before the other resignation calls started, to tell him he needed to step down. 

Schumer also urged Franken to resign during a “series of phone calls” throughout Wednesday, the source said, and had a meeting with Franken and his wife at Schumer’s apartment.  {mosads}

A Democratic aide told The Hill that senators had been privately discussing what to do about Franken “for a while” before the latest allegations surfaced on Wednesday.

“This latest story certainly prompted continued conversations, and this morning members talked to each other about not waiting any longer to come out and call for him to resign,” the aide said.

Scores of senators called for Franken to resign Wednesday after the new accuser’s allegations were revealed. Multiple women in recent weeks have accused the Minnesota lawmaker of sexual misconduct, with several saying he touched them inappropriately.

The aide who spoke to Politico said Franken attempted to kiss her after a radio taping.

“He was between me and the door and he was coming at me to kiss me. It was very quick and I think my brain had to work really hard to be like ‘Wait, what is happening?’ But I knew whatever was happening was not right and I ducked,” the unidentified woman told the news outlet.

Franken issued an apology over the Thanksgiving holiday, vowing to gain the trust of his constituents back. But since then, multiple Democrats have said the senator should resign due to the allegations.

Franken is scheduled to make an announcement, presumably about his political future, on Thursday.