Staff: Franken will not resign, is doing 'a lot of reflecting'

Updated: Nov. 20, 6:07 a.m. | Posted: Nov. 19, 3:02 p.m.

On Sunday, a spokesman said Sen. Al Franken will not resign following allegations of sexual misconduct.

Franken has kept a low media profile in the wake of the allegations. Staff said he's spending time in Washington with family and he will stay there through the Thanksgiving holiday. They said Franken is doing "a lot of reflecting."

Franken has continued to be the subject of numerous news stories and analysis. He's been lambasted by fellow comedians. And on Sunday, PBS and WETA announced Franken will not appear substantially in David Letterman's Mark Twain Prize special airing Monday night. Representatives said that PBS will air an updated version of the previously filmed event in which Franken will only be visible at the end of the show when the cast joins Letterman on stage.

PBS and WETA said that the inclusion of Franken in the broadcast would distract from the show's purpose as a celebration of American humor.

Meanwhile, as the senator figures out his next move, Minnesotans are weighing in with what they think Franken should do.

Morgan White, 51, of Minneapolis was among thousands of Vikings fans streaming to the stadium Sunday morning in downtown Minneapolis. He said he's never cared for Franken.

"He should resign just like they want Roy Moore and anybody else that is caught up in the recent sex scandals," said White. "You know, do the right thing. Bow out. Let somebody else represent Minnesota."

Also outside the stadium was Hayes Gregory, 54, from Minneapolis. Gregory is a Franken fan and voted for the former comedian twice.

"I still think he has credibility. Like I said, I'm not an altar boy, I think I'm a good person myself and I have made some mistakes in the past."

The night before on "Saturday Night Live," Franken's former employer took aim at Franken.

The show featured the now infamous picture of Sen. Franken smiling and reaching toward a woman's breasts as she slept. "Weekend Update" co-anchor Colin Jost said: "I know this photo looks bad, but remember, it also is bad."

The woman in the photo is Los Angeles radio anchor Leeann Tweeden. The photo was taken when Franken and Tweeden were on a USO tour in Afghanistan in 2006, before Franken was a senator. Tweeden also accuses Franken of forcibly kissing her during a skit rehearsal on the trip.

Tweeden is not calling for Franken to resign and has accepted his written apology.

Therese Chlebeck, 54, of Minneapolis has seen the image. She said she voted for Franken twice. But was very disappointed to hear the allegations and at first thought Franken should resign. But she's rethinking that.

"After I thought a while I thought like OK, 'Is this a one-time stupid thing or is this a pattern?' I think that matters."

So now Chlebeck wants Franken to remain in the Senate unless more women come forward. If Franken keeps his job, she said he will have a greatly diminished profile.

"I don't think he can be a leader in anything. He's just got to establish that he's a different person now than he was in 2006 and he has to continue to prove that."

University of Minnesota student Jacob Lawson, 20, said the Franken scandal has already come up in his classes.

"The only difference between like his allegations and Trump's allegations is that Franken actually admitted to it, so I think that pretty respectable," said Lawson.

Still Lawson said Franken will deserve whatever consequences he faces following the upcoming Senate ethics committee probe. He also doesn't think Franken could win re-election in 2020 if he manages to make it through his entire second term.

Over the weekend, two more former staffers who are women came forward with public statements in support of Franken and articulating his respect for women.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.