Al Franken just finally announced when he will resign

Thomson Reuters

Senator Al Franken (D-MN)

• Sen. Al Franken will resign on January 2, 2018, after several women accused him of sexual misconduct.
• Since announcing his intent to resign earlier this month, Franken has continued to vote and deliver floor speeches.

WASHINGTON - Sen. Al Franken will resign on January 2, 2018, nearly a month after announcing his intent to leave in the wake of several accusations of sexual misconduct.

A Franken spokesman confirmed that the Minnesota Democrat will depart in the new year, with Lt. Gov. Tina Smith to be sworn in on January 3 as his replacement.

Earlier this month, Franken announced "in the coming weeks I will be resigning as a member of the United States Senate" without specifying an official date. Since the announcement, which was immediately followed by Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton's appointment of Smith to take his place, Franken has continued to vote and deliver floor speeches.

A handful of Franken's colleagues expressed regret for calling on him to resign without waiting out a full and complete ethics investigation into the claims by eight women with whom he allegedly engaged in sexual misconduct.

Resigning "was his choice to make," said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democrat. "I think if he had decided to stay, he would have found a lot of support."