US Senator Al Franken, trying to salvage his political career, says he doesn't plan to resign but has called himself "embarrassed and ashamed" by his behaviour toward women who have accused him of groping or inappropriately touching them.
Franken, a Democrat and former comedian who has represented Minnesota in the Senate since 2009, said in a round of media interviews - his first since the allegations surfaced on November 16 - that he looks forward to returning to his job on Monday.
"I'm embarrassed and ashamed. I've let a lot of people down and I'm hoping I can make it up to them and gradually regain their trust," Franken told the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
Franken resisted comparisons between his behaviour and that of Roy Moore, the Republican nominee for a US Senate seat from Alabama who has been accused of improper conduct involving teenage girls decades ago.
"I'm going to take responsibility. I'm going to be held accountable through the ethics committee," said Franken, whose behaviour is being investigated by the Senate ethics panel. "And I'm going to hopefully be a voice in this that is helpful. ... Again, I respect women. What kills me about this is it gives people a reason to believe I don't respect women."
In a separate interview with Minnesota Public Radio, Franken, one of the leading liberal voices in the Senate, said he has no plans to quit.
