PBS Editing Franken Out of a Tribute to Letterman

Staffer says he is not resigning
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 20, 2017 6:03 AM CST
Franken Staffer: He Won't Resign
Sen. Al Fanken has no plans to resign, a staffer says.   (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)

Not too long ago, reporters were pestering Al Franken about whether he would run for president in 2020. Now the question is, will he resign from the Senate? "No," a staffer tells the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. "He is spending time with his family in Washington, D.C., and will be through the Thanksgiving holiday, and he’s doing a lot of reflecting," the aide texted. Meanwhile, Franken is suffering another bit of fallout in the wake of a 2006 photo that emerged of him posing with his hands just above a sleeping woman's breasts: PBS is largely editing him out of a PBS special honoring David Letterman, reports USA Today.

Franken was among the celebs to take part in an October ceremony at the Kennedy Center during which Letterman received the Mark Twain Prize. The show airs Monday night, but viewers won't see much of Franken. He "participated in the event, but will not appear substantially in the PBS program airing nationally," says a network spokesperson. Franken has apologized for the photo, but he disputes Leeann Tweeden's account of a forcible kiss during rehearsal for a USO skit. (The senator took some flak on Saturday Night Live over the weekend.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X