U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley on Thursday called on President Trump to resign due to accusations by multiple women that Trump sexually harassed or sexually assaulted them.

"The president should resign because he certainly has a track record with more than 17 women of horrific conduct," Merkley said during an appearance on MSNBC's Meet The Press. Merkley joins Sen. Bernie Sanders in calling for Trump to quit his office. Sanders said Thursday that Trump should "think about resigning" because he faces multiple sexual misconduct allegations.

More than a dozen women have accused Trump of sexual misconduct from groping to sexual harassment. They include a woman who says Trump groped her while on an airplane, a woman who says he groped her at a nightclub, a former business partner who says he put his hand up her skirt, and a former Miss USA contestant who says Trump kissed her without consent, among others. Trump has denied or disputed all the allegations.

During his Meet The Press appearance, Merkley, a Democrat and frequent critic of Trump, also said Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore should drop out of the race. Multiple women have accused Moore of dating them while they were underage and he was in his 30s. One woman has accused Moore of sexually assaulting her when she was 14.

Droves of high-power men in politics, the press and the entertainment industry have recently been accused of varying degrees of misconduct, from sexual harassment to assault and even rape. The avalanche of accusations started after news reports of decades of sexual harassment and assault by Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, who has denied wrongdoing.

Allegations of misconduct have also been made against several members of Congress.

Minnesota senator Al Franken announced Thursday that he would resign following accusations of groping by at least seven women. Michigan Rep. John Conyers, the longest-serving U.S. House member, resigned this week due to sexual harassment accusations, which he denies. Texas Rep. Blake Farenthold faces an ethics probe after allegations that he sexually harassed an aide. Arizona Rep. Trent Franks announced his resignation Thursday after he pressed two of his female subordinates to consider surrogacy because Franks and his wife faced infertility.

-- Gordon R. Friedman

503-221-8209; @GordonRFriedman