Al Franken Has a Plan for His $1.4 Million Political Cash Stash

Democrat Al Franken is sitting on a small political fortune — and he’s preparing to use it.

Franken, who federal records indicate has more than $1.4 million in leftover cash sitting in his old U.S. Senate campaign account, is “likely to convert” that committee into a political action committee “in the near future,” Al Franken for Senate Treasurer Thomas Borman wrote in a letter to federal regulators this week.

Borman was responding to questions from the Federal Election Commission about the Franken committee’s “significant amount of residual cash on hand” and a request to “explain the committee’s intended use” for the money.

Franken spokesperson Alexandra Fetissoff confirmed to NOTUS that “Sen. Franken has no plans to run for future office but he will continue to do good with his Senate campaign committee.”

As a PAC, Franken’s Senate committee could overtly raise and spend money for the purpose of electing and defeating political candidates.

Franken has also maintained a separate leadership PAC from his time in the Senate — Midwest Values PAC — that he will continue to use to “support Democrats up and down the ticket,” Fetissoff said. As of April 30, it had about $458,000 in its account, according to FEC records.The former senator from Minnesota resigned his seat in January 2018 following accusations of sexual misconduct. Franken soon came to regret his resignation, saying he wished he had argued against the accusations through the Senate Ethics Committee.

Franken has since sought to rehabilitate his image and recoup some of his political stature.

The career comedian has recently appeared on TV and podcasts with Jimmy Fallon, Conan O’Brien and Rich Eisen. He regularly sends fundraising requests on behalf of Democratic political candidates and PACs. He hosts a popular podcast on which he interviews politicians, journalists, writers and political advocates. And last year, he launched his own weekly radio show on SiriusXM radio.

Franken’s Senate campaign committee has made several charitable donations this year, according to federal records, including $25,000 each to Minnesota-based nonprofits Tending the Soil, UNIDOS MN, UNIDOS MN Education Fund, the Ascension Immigrant Emergencies Fund and CTUL, as well as the Asian American/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy in California.

It’s not uncommon for former political candidates’ idled campaign committees to hoard hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars for years after they leave elected office.

Federal law provides several options for the surplus cash: transferring it to other political committees, donating it to charity, disgorging it to the U.S. Treasury or doing nothing with it.