Reactions to Sen. Al Franken's Thursday announcement that he will resign following accusations of improper behavior were swift and varied, with Donald Trump Jr. immediately cackling over the development and actresses Bette Midler and Ellen Barkin lamenting Franken's decision.
Many observers sought to link Franken's situation and allegations lodged against U.S. Senate hopeful Roy Moore of Alabama. During his remarks Franken criticized both Moore and President Donald Trump without mentioning them by name: "I, of all people, am aware that there is some irony in the fact that I am leaving while a man who has bragged on tape about his history of sexual assault sits in the Oval Office, and a man who has repeatedly preyed on young girls campaigns for the Senate with the full support of his party."
In a twist of timing, Franken took the floor of the Senate just after departing Alabama Sen. Luther Strange's farewell. Strange was appointed when then-Sen. Jeff Sessions' was appointed attorney general.
In his bid to stay on, Strange lost to Moore in the primary. Moore now faces Democrat Doug Jones in the Dec. 12 special election.
"American Idol" star Clay Aiken, who ran unsuccessfully as a Democrat for a North Carolina Congressional seat, wasn't optimistic about what Franken's decision will lead to:
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