Franken on Senate resignation: 'They made it impossible for me to get due process'

[Celerity]

22. I do not think he should have resigned, he should have let the process play out. The distraction

rationale is not that strong, as Menendez was under federal corruption indictment and went to trial (a far bigger 'distraction' in my book), and yet he never resigned. It ended in a mistrial, and then the DoJ decided to not re-try him.

In April 2018, the United States Senate Select Committee on Ethics "severely admonished" Menendez in a letter, writing:

The Committee has found that over a six-year period you knowingly and repeatedly accepted gifts of significant value from Dr. Melgen without obtaining required Committee approval, and that you failed to publicly disclose certain gifts as required by Senate Rule and federal law. Additionally, while accepting these gifts, you used your position as a Member of the Senate to advance Dr. Melgen’s personal and business interests. The Committee has determined that this conduct violated Senate Rules, federal law, and applicable standards of conduct. Accordingly, the Committee issues you this Public Letter of Admonition, and also directs you to repay the fair market value of all impermissible gifts not already repaid.

No resignation, and he still is in the Senate. Franken could have done the same I think, especially as the allegations against him were not being trued in a court of law, and some of them (if not most) were dodgy from the start.