A former elected official in New England on Thursday became the sixth woman to accuse Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., of sexual misconduct and said he inappropriately kissed her just months before he announced his Senate campaign in early 2007.
The unnamed woman said she had been working on her town’s board of selectmen in 2006 and was asked to be a guest on Franken’s Air America radio show. The show was set to be taped in front of a live audience at a local theater.
Following the interview, the accuser recalled extending her hand to Franken for a handshake.
“He took it and leaned toward me with his mouth open. I turned my head away from him and he landed a wet, open-mouthed kiss awkwardly on my cheek,” she told Jezebel.
The incident left the woman “stunned and incredulous,” and made the allegations to Jezebel because she believes Franken should take responsibility for the alleged incident.
“I felt demeaned. I felt put in my place,” she explained. “It was onstage in front of a full theater … It was insidious. It was in plain sight and yet nobody saw it.”
The accuser said she is not disclosing her name because she wants it to remain “associated with my own accomplishments” and “not publicly linked to a man’s bad behavior.”
Five other women have accused Franken, a former Saturday Night Live personality and comedian, of groping, sexual harassment, and sexual assault in recent weeks. Thursday morning, an Army veteran became the fifth person to allege sexual misconduct by Franken, and said he grabbed her breast when they posed for a photo in 2003.
Franken has apologized but does not plan to resign from his position as a national lawmaker.
