Gillibrand has gone against her party on a number of occasions on issues related to women's rights. Declaring a "zero tolerance" doctrine regarding accusations of sexual misconduct by members of Congress, Gillibrand was the first in her caucus to call on Senator Al Franken (D-MN) to resign. Franken left office before a Senate Ethics Committee investigation could review the accuracy of the allegations. Seven Democratic current and former U.S. senators who had demanded Franken's resignation in 2017 went on the record in 2019 to tell New Yorker reporter Jane Mayer they had been wrong to do so, though Gillibrand had not expressed any regrets for leading the demand for his resignation.