A report published by the Huffington Post Wednesday night cites two anonymous women who also accuse Sen. Al Franken of inappropriate touching, bringing the total of inappropriate touching allegations against the Senator to four.
Both women claim Franken touched their butts at political events without consent. One woman says that Franken suggested they retreat to the bathroom after groping her. Neither wishes their identites known for fear of retribution.
Franken says he doesn’t remember the events but is certain he never asked someone to join him in the bathroom.
From HuffPo:
The two additional women, who said they were not familiar with each others’ stories, both spoke on condition of anonymity. But their stories, which describe events during Franken’s first campaign for the Senate, are remarkably similar — and both women have been telling them privately for years.In a statement to HuffPost, Franken said, “It’s difficult to respond to anonymous accusers, and I don’t remember those campaign events.”The first woman, who spoke to HuffPost on condition of anonymity because she’s worried she’ll be harassed online for making the allegation, said Franken groped her when they posed for a photo after a June 25, 2007, 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. “He grabbed my buttocks during a photo op.”The second woman told HuffPost that Franken cupped her butt with his hand at a 2008 Democratic fundraiser in Minneapolis, then suggested the two visit the bathroom together. She spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear that the allegation could affect her position at work.“My immediate reaction was disgust,” the second woman 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?’”“I can categorically say that I did not proposition anyone to join me in any bathroom,” Franken told HuffPost.
The HuffPo claims they corroborated the stories by speaking with friends and family of both women.
“People are saying that this is a right-wing conspiracy. It’s not. I’m a liberal person…I voted for him after this happened,” said one accuser.
We’ve left the details of the alleged inappropriate touchings in the HuffPo link.
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