Article snippet: Democrats scrambled to contain the fallout on Thursday after sexual assault allegations against Sen. MORE (D-Del.), who later released a statement condemning Franken’s behavior, noted that he couldn’t talk because he needed to vote and “I don’t like to miss votes.” Democratic Sens. MORE (Del.) said they couldn't comment because they are members of the Ethics Committee. Sen. MORE (D-W.Va.) appeared flabbergasted as he spoke to a swarm of reporters, repeatedly saying that he wanted to speak with Franken. “I just heard. I just heard, and … I would like to hear from Al,” he said. “I just want to hear from Al. I just want to hear Al’s explanation.” Franken kept a low profile throughout the day, skipping the Senate’s four votes and a closed-door Democratic caucus lunch. A spokesman for Franken didn’t respond to a request for comment about his schedule, but sources told CNN that the senator apologized to his staff on Thursday. The senator initially released a brief statement saying that he didn’t "remember the rehearsal for the skit in the same way, but I send my sincerest apologies to Leeann. ... As to the photo, it was clearly intended to be funny but wasn’t. I shouldn’t have done it.” But that appeared to frustrate some of his colleagues, who were quick to say they believed Franken’s accuser. “They are deeply concerning, and I expect to hear more from Sen. Franken,” Gillibrand told reporters during her press conference on military sexual assault. She added separate... Link to the full article to read more