McCaskill to donate $30k received from Franken’s PAC to charity

Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) will donate the $30,000 she received from Sen. Al Franken’s (D-Minn.) PAC to a Missouri-based charity, following the accusation that he kissed and groped a woman without her consent, a spokeswoman confirmed.

A reporter for the Kansas City Star tweeted Thursday that McCaskill’s campaign said the senator will donate the money she received in the last three election cycles.

NEW: I just heard from McCaskill’s campaign that she will donate the $30,000 she received from Franken’s PAC in the past 3 election cycles to a Missouri-based charity. https://t.co/jAAv30t4Sd

— Lindsay Wise (@lindsaywise) November 16, 2017

McCaskill called Thursday for an ethics investigation into Franken’s behavior after radio anchor Leeann Tweeden accused Franken of kissing and groping her without consent, and published a photo of him grabbing her breasts while she was asleep.

“I’m shocked and concerned,” McCaskill said Thursday. “The behavior described is completely unacceptable. Comedy is no excuse for inappropriate conduct, and I believe there should be an ethics investigation.”

Re Al Franken: I’m shocked and concerned. The behavior described is completely unacceptable. Comedy is no excuse for inappropriate conduct, and I believe there should be an ethics investigation.

— Claire McCaskill (@clairecmc) November 16, 2017

McCaskill has been a leader in the effort to combat sexual assault on Capitol Hill.

Franken issued two statements apologizing to Tweeden, and called for an ethics investigation into his own behavior.

The Republican House and Senate campaign committees have called for Democrats to return the donations they have received from Franken. 

Abby Finkenauer, a Democratic House candidate in Iowa, also said that she would donate the $1,500 received from Franken to an Iowa nonprofit that helps sexual assault victims.

“Nothing about Senator Franken’s actions on the USO Tour in 2006 is funny or okay,” Finkenauer said in a statement. “Leeann Tweeden’s account of her experiences with the Senator are clearly sexual assault, not a joke, and she is incredibly brave for speaking out. Sexual assault is not a partisan problem. Democrats need to hold ourselves to the same standards we would demand of Republicans.”