9 members of Congress who were forced out of office by sexual misconduct scandals by Ellen Cranley on May 3, 2018, 2:02 PM Advertisement
 Nine members of the 115th US Congress have had to step down after allegations of sexual misconduct against them became public. This wave of scandals stemmed from the #MeToo movement, the rising national conversation on workplace sexual harassment after highly publicized allegations of predatory behavior by prominent men in media and entertainment. Here are the four Democrats and five Republicans who became embroiled in controversy all within the first of this Congress' two years: SEE ALSO: 25 powerful men in politics and media accused of sexual misconduct in the wake of Harvey Weinstein SEE ALSO: The 22 women who have accused Trump of sexual misconduct Sen. Al Franken of Minnesota, Democrat  Franken resigned after a Senate ethics panel looked into accusations from eight women who said he had groped and forcibly kissed them. The twice-elected senator announced his intent to resign after dozens of senators publicly called for him to step down in early December, and officially stepped down in early January. "A couple months ago I felt that we had entered an important moment in the history of this country ... We were finally beginning to listen to women," he said in his resignation speech on the chamber floor. "Then the conversation turned to me."
Rep. Blake Fahrenthold of Texas, Republican  Fahrenthold resigned in April, months after reports revealed he spent $84,000 of taxpayer money to settle a 2014 sexual harassment claim from his former communications director. The representative of Texas' 27th district said in December he would not seek re-election, and then in April issued a statement that he was ending his term early, and it was time to "look for new ways to serve." Since 1997, the House has spent more than $17 million in taxpayer money to settle workplace disputes, including sexual harassment complaints.
Rep. John Conyers of Michigan, Democrat  Conyers resigned in December after 53 years in Congress. Buzzfeed News had reported he settled a female staffer's sexual harassment compliant in 2015 for more than $27,000. After the report, more women came forward with similar allegations against Conyers, and scores of his Democratic colleagues called on Conyers to step down.
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