By Doug Belden

St. Paul Pioneer Press

ST. PAUL — Holding traffic cones to his chest to mimic breasts was a “thoughtless moment” that he regrets, Democratic U.S. Sen. Al Franken said Thursday.

Franken was captured on video in 2012 joking around with the cones, and Republicans have called on him to apologize this week after Democrats called out 1st District GOP congressional candidate Jim Hagedorn for disparaging comments he made about women, homosexuals and American Indians.

Franken’s staff had declined to comment on the matter, but Franken responded Thursday at the State Fair when questioned by reporters.

He said he didn’t know he was being videotaped. “That’s why it was thoughtless. Whenever you’re out anywhere, you have to understand that that’s a possibility, so I regret doing that.”

Franken’s GOP challenger, Mike McFadden, called Franken’s statement a “non-apology,” suggesting Franken was only apologizing because he got caught.

He said the cone gag was inappropriate. “I’m disappointed. That’s not what a U.S. senator should be doing,” McFadden said.

—Distributed by MCT Information Services