Former Democratic U.S. Sen. Al Franken of Minnesota told The New Yorker magazine in a story published Monday that he "absolutely" regrets resigning from the Senate after several women accused him of unwanted kissing or touching.
In the same article, seven current or former senators say they regret calling for Franken's resignation in December 2017. Franken resigned his seat after Leeann Tweeden and seven other women accused him of sexual harassment.
The article, Franken's first interview since leaving the Senate, calls into question some of the assertions against Franken and quotes several female former staff members and close friends who described him as physically clumsy but not predatory.
Franken said at the time that the allegations were false, and he repeats that in The New Yorker article. A former comedian who made his name on "Saturday Night Live," Franken resigned amid a national wave of sexual harassment allegations against men in powerful positions as the #MeToo movement was gaining momentum.
Both Franken and Tweeden had called for an independent investigation at the time, but none was conducted before fellow Democrats forced Franken to resign three weeks after Tweeden made her claims.
Asked by The New Yorker whether he regretted stepping down, Franken said: "Oh, yeah. Absolutely."
"I can't go anywhere without people reminding me of this, usually with some version of 'You shouldn't have resigned,'" he told the magazine.
A message left for Franken on Monday by The Associated Press wasn't immediately returned.
Tweeden alleged in 2017 that Franken told her during a USO tour to entertain soldiers in 2006 that he had written a comedy skit with her in mind that required her to kiss him. She said Franken forcibly kissed her and stuck his tongue in her mouth during a rehearsal of the sketch before they performed it in Afghanistan.
The New Yorker cited two actresses, Karri Turner and Traylor Portman, who had played the same role as Tweeden on earlier USO tours with Franken. Both told the magazine that they had performed the same role as Tweeden on earlier tours with Franken and that there was nothing inappropriate about his behavior.
Tweeden also released a photo showing Franken, who was then a comedian, reaching out toward her breasts, as if to grope her, as she slept in a flak jacket while on a military aircraft during the USO tour. The New Yorker reported that the pose echoed another USO skit in which a "Dr. Franken" approaches Tweeden's character with his hands aiming at her breasts.
Tweeden declined to comment for The New Yorker article. A message left by the AP for Tweeden at KABC-AM in California, where she works as a conservative talk radio host, was not immediately returned.
Seven senators who had called for Franken's resignation said they'd been wrong to do so. They are Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, now-former Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, independent Sen. Angus King of Maine, Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon, Democratic Sen. Tom Udall of New Mexico and now-former Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida.
Leahy said that seeking Franken's resignation without first getting all the facts was "one of the biggest mistakes I've made" in his 45-year Senate career.
U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York was among the first to call for Franken's resignation. Some Democratic donors have turned away from Gillibrand because of that, hurting her 2020 bid for the presidency.
"I'd do it again today," Gillibrand said in the article. "If a few wealthy donors are angry about that, it's on them."
Franken was replaced in the Senate by Tina Smith, a Democrat appointed by Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton who had been serving as his lieutenant governor. Smith won a special election in 2018 and is running in 2020 for a full six-year term. Several Republicans are weighing bids to challenge her.
KEY LARGO, Fla. (AP) — Nearly 15 years after his first Soldier Ride, Bill Hansen joined dozens of other wounded veterans on Friday as they cycled along the Overseas Highway, including the Seven Mile Bridge, for the annual Florida Keys event.
A total of 45 men and women, as well as their supporters, are participating in the cycling event organized by the Wounded Warrior Project.
“I wake up in pain every single day. I’ve gotten used to a level of pain,” Hansen said. “And so doing physical fitness, things like this, I know I’m gonna be in a little bit of pain, but it’s worth it for my mental health and for just my comradery with other vets.”
Hansen, who served more than two decades in the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Army National Guard, participated in his first Soldier Ride in Phoenix in 2012. He said he had suffered a serious neck and back injury and become addicted to pain medication before connecting with the Wounded Warrior Project. Hansen was able to make friends with other injured veterans and form a support system that remains in place.
“One of my bucket list events is to ride a bike over the Seven Mile Bridge,” Hansen said. “I mean, what an iconic thing to do, and it’s part of America, part of our heritage. And so this is gonna be fun for me, because I get to do this. Plus, I’m gonna be able to help other vets.”
The ride through the Keys started Friday and runs through the weekend. While some riders are missing one or more limbs after combat injuries, the veterans are using bicycles fitted with special adaptive equipment. Other injuries, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, are not so visible.
“The path to healing always starts with movement,” Wounded Warrior Project CEO Walter Piatt said. “This is about getting them outside, getting them reconnected with people they serve with, and people are going through the same thing they are.”
The group started their day with a 17-mile (27-kilometer) ride from a Key Largo VFW post to the Theater of the Sea in Islamorada. Following lunch at the Marathon fire station, riders traveled another 10 miles (16 miles), including over the Seven Mile Bridge, and stopped for the day in Big Pine Key.
A large crowd of Coral Shores High School students cheered on the warriors during a break in Tavernier, but smaller groups of residents lined the route as riders made their way through the island chain.
“I want them to see that we appreciate what they do,” Keys resident Carol Dieck said.
The Wounded Warrior Project's cross-country and Keys bicycle trips provide inspiration and rehabilitative opportunities for injured soldiers, while raising money for others recovering in American military hospitals. The funds generated help foster veterans’ independence, develop peer-mentoring programs and arrange transport between home and hospital when needed.
The Florida Keys Soldier Ride continues Saturday through Key West, with an additional community ride where the public can cycle with the warriors. And finally they will spend Sunday morning swimming with dolphins at the Dolphin Research Center in Marathon.
U.S. Army veteran Sabrina Bradley, left, takes a group photo at the Veterans Memorial Park after riding in the annual Florida Keys Soldier Ride organized by the Wounded Warrior Project, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Little Duck Key, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
U.S. Navy veteran Jerry Padgett, right, is wheeled into the ocean at the Veterans Memorial Park after riding in the annual Florida Keys Soldier Ride organized by the Wounded Warrior Project, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Little Duck Key, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Wounded veterans ride over the Seven Mile Bridge in the annual Florida Keys Soldier Ride organized by the Wounded Warrior Project, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Marathon, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
People line the street as wounded veterans ride in the annual Florida Keys Soldier Ride organized by the Wounded Warrior Project, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Marathon, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Wounded veterans ride in the annual Florida Keys Soldier Ride organized by the Wounded Warrior Project, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Marathon, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
U. S. Force veteran Spencer Charron rides in the annual Florida Keys Soldier Ride organized by the Wounded Warrior Project, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Marathon, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Wounded Warriors Project CEO Walt Piatt, left, signs an American flag for students outside of the Coral Shores High School as wounded veterans ride in the annual Florida Keys Soldier Ride organized by the Wounded Warrior Project, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Islamorada, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
U.S. Army and Marine veteran William Hansen high-five students as wounded veterans ride in the annual Florida Keys Soldier Ride organized by the Wounded Warrior Project, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Islamorada, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Students from an elementary school hold signs in support as wounded veterans ride past in the annual Florida Keys Soldier Ride organized by the Wounded Warrior Project, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Islamorada, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Students from the Coral Shores High School wave as wounded veterans ride past in the annual Florida Keys Soldier Ride organized by the Wounded Warrior Project, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Islamorada, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Wounded veterans ride past a crowd gathered at Coral Shores High School in the annual Florida Keys Soldier Ride organized by the Wounded Warrior Project, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Islamorada, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
U.S. Marine Corps veteran Matthew Hannon adjusts his helmet before riding in the annual Florida Keys Soldier Ride organized by the Wounded Warrior Project, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Key Largo, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Wounded veterans prepare to start their ride in the annual Florida Keys Soldier Ride organized by the Wounded Warrior Project, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Key Largo, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
