DNC Chair Tom Perez released the following statement:

“Sexual misconduct, harassment, and assault have no place in the Democratic Party, the United States Congress, the White House, or anywhere. That’s why earlier today I called on Senator Franken to resign.

“For far too long, our society has looked the other way and allowed men to continue this behavior in virtually every industry. We must do better. We must step up and fix this immediately. Regardless of party, we must live up to our values by holding ourselves accountable and leading by example.

“Together, we all must share the responsibility of building a culture of trust and respect for women in every industry and workplace. In the House and Senate, the processes for responding to allegations of misconduct don't work and must be dramatically reformed. But fixing these broken processes is just one part of the culture change we need today. It’s long past time for this era of silence to end.

“There are big differences between Democrats and Republicans and this is just one of them. Instead of standing up for women and confronting the problems of misconduct within their own ranks, the Republican Party has chosen to pursue power and push their radical far-right agenda at any cost. And they’ve continued to champion a president who has a long and disturbing history of misconduct with women.

“The Democratic Party will stand up for women and for what is right. Public service is a public trust. If you are a candidate for office or an elected official who has engaged in sexual misconduct, you should step aside – whether you sit in the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate, or the Oval Office.”