Al Franken says he hasn't ruled out running for office again
"I loved that job. I loved the job as senator," Franken said.
Former Sen. Al Franken, asked whether he plans to ever run for office again, said this week he has not “ruled it out” nor “ruled it in.”
“I miss the whole job. I loved that job. I loved the job as senator,” Franken, who officially resigned from Congress in January after facing allegations he inappropriately touched multiple women, told a Minnesota CBS station in an interview on Monday.
The allegations, which came in the wake of the #MeToo movement, included groping and improper advances, which Franken steadfastly denied.
The first allegation was made by a Los Angeles radio host who claimed Franken made inappropriate advances toward her during a USO trip they took together in 2006.
Many of Franken's fellow Democratic senators called on him to step down before he eventually resigned.
“I was shocked. I was upset. But in responding to their claims I also wanted to be respectful of that broader conversation," Franken said in his resignation speech, "because all women deserve to be heard and their experiences taken seriously.”
Franken added that by resigning he was not admitting to the allegations.
"I know in my heart that nothing I have done as a senator — nothing — has brought dishonor on this institution," he said in the speech.
Franken was replaced by Minnesota's then-Lt. Gov. Tina Smith in January without going through a Senate Ethics Committee investigation.