The Senate Ethics Committee announced Thursday that it will probe accusations of sexual misconduct against Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.).
Six women have come forward with allegations that include forceful kissing and unwanted touching.
“While the committee does not generally comment on pending matters or matters that may come before it, in this instance, the committee is publicly confirming that it has opened a preliminary inquiry into Senator Franken’s alleged misconduct,” the committee said in a statement.
Franken has apologized for his behavior and said that he would cooperate in a potential ethics investigation.
“As Sen. Franken made clear this week, he takes thousands of photos and has met tens of thousands of people and he has never intentionally engaged in this kind of conduct. He remains fully committed to cooperating with the ethics investigation,” his office had said in a statement earlier on Thursday in response to the most recent allegations.
The House Ethics Committee is simultaneously investigating claims of sexual harassment made against Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.). House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) have both called on him to resign from office.