A prominent news anchor in Los Angeles is publicly accusing US Senator Al Franken of inappropriate sexual assault, claiming the liberal lawmaker forcibly kissed her and fondled her while she was sleeping.
In a personal op-ed published by KABC radio station, Leeann Tweeden says the one-time comic inappropriately grabbed her while touring the Middle East as part of a USO comedy series designed to entertain the troops.
The newswoman and former model accuses Franken of aggressively “kissing her” and taking secret photos of her while sleeping.
“I immediately pushed him away with both of my hands against his chest and told him if he ever did that to me again I wouldn’t be so nice about it the next time,” she writes. “I walked away. All I could think about was getting to a bathroom as fast as possible to rinse the taste of him out of my mouth.”
“I couldn’t believe it. He groped me, without my consent, while I was asleep. I felt violated all over again. Embarrassed. Belittled. Humiliated,” she added. “How dare anyone grab my breasts like this and think it’s funny?”
The Senator issued a response Thursday morning, claiming he didn’t “remember” the incident, but sends his “sincerest apologies” regardless.
“I certainly don’t remember the rehearsal for the skit in the same way, but I send my sincerest apologies to Leeann,” Sen. Franken said. “As to the photo, it was clearly intended to be funny but wasn’t. I shouldn’t have done it.”
Read her full story here.