Story highlights Franken says he still plans to appear with Griffin in July as part of a promotion tour for his new book

"Kathy's a friend and she's a terrific comedian, but this had no business being in our public discourse," Franken says

(CNN) Kathy Griffin can recover from the controversy over her photo shoot that featured her holding up a bloody head resembling President Donald Trump, Sen. Al Franken said Wednesday.

"I think she did the right thing asking for forgiveness and acknowledging that this was a horrible mistake, so I think she can," the Minnesota Democrat and former "Saturday Night Live" writer told CNN's Alisyn Camerota on "New Day."

Griffin apologized on Instagram on Tuesday for the photo that some say encouraged violence against the President.

"I'm a comic," said Griffin, a frequent Trump critic. "I cross the line. I move the line, then I cross it. I went way too far. The image is too disturbing. I understand how it offends people. It wasn't funny. I get it."

She said she'd ask celebrity photographer Tyler Shields to remove the photo and rejected the idea that she was encouraging violence against the President.

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