Allegations of sexual misconduct against Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., are mounting as two more women have come forward alleging Franken groped them.
Two women told the Huffington Post on the condition of anonymity they attended events during Franken’s initial Senate campaign where Franken touched their buttocks without their consent.
The first woman said Franken groped her in June 2007 at an event hosted by the Minnesota Women’s Political Caucus in Minneapolis.
“My story is eerily similar to Lindsay Menz’s story,” the first woman said, referencing a woman who accused Franken on Monday of groping her while posing for a photo. “He grabbed my buttocks during a photo op.”
The other woman claimed Franken touched her buttocks in 2008 at a Democratic fundraiser in Minneapolis. She alleged he then asked to visit the bathroom together.
“My immediate reaction was disgust,” she said. “But my secondary reaction was disappointment. I was excited to be there and to meet him. And so to have that happen really deflated me. It felt like: ‘Is this really the person who is going to be in a position of power to represent our community?’”
“It’s difficult to respond to anonymous accusers, and I don’t remember those campaign events,” Franken told the Huffington Post in a statement.
The controversy surrounding Franken started last week when Leeann Tweeden, a radio host and former sports commentator, publicly accused Franken of forcefully kissing her when the two were practicing a skit as part of a USO tour in the Middle East in 2006. She also said Franken groped her while she slept on the flight from Afghanistan after the tour ended. A photo was released that shows Franken, then a comedian, touching Tweeden’s breasts while she was sleeping.
Franken apologized for his behavior and said the photo was intended to be a joke, but added that he now realizes it was not funny. He said he would comply with an investigation into allegations from the Senate Ethics Committee.
Menz came forward Monday and said Franken groped her while posing for a photo at the Minnesota State Fair in 2010.
“I take thousands of photos at the state fair surrounded by hundreds of people, and I certainly don’t recall taking this picture,” Franken said. “I feel badly that Ms. Menz came away from our interaction feeling disrespected.”
