Asian American senators call for Franken to step down; he announces decision to leave office

SCREEN CAPTURE / CNN

Hawaii's Sen. Mazie Hirono called for Sen. Al Franken's resignation.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This post has been re-edited to include Al Franken's intention to resign.

THE THREE SENATORS of Asian descent joined over 30 of their colleagues in asking for the resignation of Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., because of the mounting allegations against him for sexual misconduct.

Senators Mazie Hirono, Tammy Duckworth and Kamala Harris were among the 13 female and 19 senators who said the embattled Sen. Al Franken resign Wednesday (Dec. 6).

Thursday morning, Franken yielded to the pressure and took to the Senate floor to announce his plans to resign. He stopped short of a full admission and that disappointed a lot of people.

“I am sad that he took that time to still deny and say that some of this stuff wasn’t true,” said Leeann Tweeden, the Filipino/American KABC deejay who was the first woman to reveal Franken's inappropriate behavior that occurred during a 2006 USO tour.

The picture she posted of a smiling Franken groping her breasts while she was asleep was damning for the senator.

After that incident seven other women have come forth to show that Franken's sexual misconduct was apparently a reoccurring behavioral problem. As the incidents mounted, it became too much for his fellow senators, most of them Democrats, to ignore or leave to an ethics committee investigation .

Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-HI,  issued this statement in a press release:

“Today, I am calling on my colleague Al Franken to step aside. I’ve struggled with this decision because he’s been a good Senator and I consider him a friend. But that cannot excuse his behavior and his mistreatment of women.

“TIME Magazine, by naming ‘The Silence Breakers’ as their ‘Person of the Year,’ is recognizing what women have always known: there are men among us who use their positions of power and influence to manipulate, harass, and assault women. What is new here is the women. We are, all of us, speaking out, naming names and demanding that the harassers take responsibility for their behavior.

“I am proud of each of the women who has come forward, and heartened by the changing climate that has received their stories with acceptance and compassion.

“My hope is that this moment for a cultural change will result in women no longer being viewed as objects or toys, but recognized for their abilities and achievements. As regular human beings. Women have endured this behavior, which for too long has been ignored and tolerated. But no longer.

“We can only create a culture where women are respected as equals if we all step forward and be part of the change by holding everyone, especially our leaders, accountable.”

Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-ILL, released this statement:

“I am deeply disappointed by Senator Franken’s behavior. He must step aside. To all those across America who have come forward to share their stories over the past few months: thank you. Your courage and strength in driving this long-overdue national conversation is awe-inspiring. As national leaders, we must hold ourselves to a higher standard—and we must lead by example to ensure every person is treated with the dignity and respect they deserve. This isn’t about Democrats or Republicans, it’s about our society. It’s about who we are as a people and the kind of country we want our daughters—and our sons—to grow up in.”

On Facebook, Sen. Kamala Harris, D-CA, posted:

"Sexual harassment and misconduct should not be allowed by anyone and should not occur anywhere. I believe the best thing is for Senator Franken to step down.

"However, this conversation does not begin or end with any one individual. It is clear that Congress needs a fundamental overhaul in how we deal with sexual harassment and assault. The process is too slow and too murky. What we need is swift action and transparency.

"We also need to take a look at this across all industries and all professions. I am equally concerned about the waitresses, domestic workers, and women working on factory lines who have come forward to share their experiences with harassment and violence. If today is the end of this conversation, then we will have failed not only those women working now, not only the courageous women who have come forward, but the next generation of women who will enter the workplace.

"I will continue to work with my colleagues on efforts to address the issue of sexual assault and misconduct in Congress or anywhere else."

Franken's behavior towards women came to light in November when Filipino/American deejay Leeann Velez Tweeden revealed on her KABC blog that Franken aggresively kissed her without her consent and included a picture of Franken fondling her breasts while she was asleep during a 2006 USO Tour in the Middle East. 

RELATED: Silicon Valley's women struggle for respect, equality 

Franken personally apologized to Tweeden and she accepted the senator's apparent regret. However, she was disappointed at Franken's apology of Thursday (Dec. 7).

“It’s a lose-lose situation here. It’s not like I’m jumping up and down rejoicing," told the Washington Post. "You are watching somebody probably having the worst day of his life. I feel bad, and feel bad for his family.”

Since Tweeden's revelation, other women have cme forth describing incidents of sexual harassment and groping by Franken. The most recent accusations came in a Politico report Wednesday (Dec. 6) in which, a woman who chose not to be identified alleged Franken tried to forcibly kiss her after a taping of his radio show in 2006; and this morning (Dec. 7), The Atlantic included an essay by another woman, a former Congressional staffer, who wrote about the senator touching her inappropriately during a picture-taking event.
_________________________________________________________________________________

Sen. Al Franken's behavior not funny, says Filipina American deejay

ABC

Leeann Velez Tweeden

SENATOR AL FRANKEN, D-Minnesota, a progressive politician, is in a heap of trouble because of his treatment of a Filipina/American deejay during a USO tour.

Los Angeles radio host Leeann Velez Tweeden tweeted that Franken kissed her without her consent and fondled her breasts while she was asleep during a 2006 USO Tour in the MIddle East.

Inspired by the #MeToo campaign that was launched by the women making public the sexual assaults and harassment by movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, Tweeden told how Franken wrote a comedy skit that ended with a kiss. During a rehearsal of the skit, Tweeden claims that the senator grabbed her behind her neck and forcibly kissed her, forcing his tongue into her mouth.

She pushed him off and told him not to do that again. She said she went to the bathroom to rinse the taste of him out of her mouth.

Franken apparently didn't stop there. At the end of the tour on the flight back to the U.S., a photograph was taken of Franken appearing to grope the breasts of a sleeping Tweeden with the senator leering back at the camera.

This photo shows Sen. Al Franken and the sleeping Leeann Tweeden.

"I certainly don't remember the rehearsal for the skit in the same way, but I send my sincerest apologies to Leeann," said Franken. "As to the photo, it was clearly intended to be funny but wasn't. I shouldn't have done it."

“Nothing about it is ever funny,” said Tweeden. “Is it funny if he does that to your sister, to your daughter or to your wife?”

When the incriminating photo was made public, Franken personally apologized to Tweeden and she said that she accepts the apology. Tweeden said she accepted Franken’s apology and was not calling for Franken to step down from office.

Franken has called for an ethics investigation on himself, and said he would gladly cooperate. But that might be too late for his political career as calls for his resignation, to the delight of his enemies on the right and sadly by former liberal allies.

Tweeden is not the first Filipina who has spoken out about sexual assault and harassment. One of the first women to speak out was Ambra Battaliana Gutierrez, an Italian model with Filipino heritage, who told the story of her encounters with Harvey Weinstein. Since an article about her meetings with the Hhollywood power broker became public, more than 70 women have come forth to tell their experiences with Weinstein.

________________________________________________________________________________