Democrat Senator Al Franken has resigned after facing a string of sexual misconduct allegations from a number of women, including claims of groping.
Speaking on the Senate floor, Mr Franken called some of the allegations are "simply not true" while others he said he "remembered very differently".
Mr Franken said his earlier apology statement gave people a "false impression that I was admitting to things I had not done". He said he will be leaving office in the "coming weeks".
The former "Saturday Night Live" cast member said the recent conversation surrounding sexual harassment and misconduct - which started with numerous women coming forward and accusing blockbuster Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein - was "long overdue."
He said he was "hopeful that it would result in real change."
"Then the conversation turned to me," Mr Franken said.
He said he was "shocked" by the accusations of Leeann Tweeden, a Los Angeles radio host and co-performer of Mr Franken's on a tour visiting US troops overseas.
"But in responding to their claims I wanted ot be respectful of that broader conversation," Mr Franken said of his apology and adding that "all women deserve to be heard and their opinions taken seriously."
"It wasn’t easy and it wasn’t always fun," Mr Franken said in an emotional speech about his time on Capitol Hill, but added that "e ven on the worst day of my political life, it’s all been worth it."
US President Donald Trump has been accused by at least 16 women of sexual misconduct. The President also endorsed Roy Moore, the candidate for the vacant Alabama Senate seat.
Mr Moore has been accused by several women and witnesses of preying on teenage girls while he was in his 30s but is still getting funding from the national Republican party for his campaign.
Mr Franken urged his colleagues to "have political courage" in the face of the Trump administration and quoted former Minnesota senator, the late Paul Wellstone: "'The future belongs to those who are passionate and work hard' it’s still true and it will always be true."
He is among a host of public figures accused of sexual misconduct, including fellow Democrat and Representative John Conyers who also resigned after several women came forward with stories about his inappropriate behaviour.
