Seventh woman accuses Al Franken of inappropriate sexual conduct
A seventh woman has come forward with disturbing allegations about the behavior of Democratic Sen. Al Franken (Minn.), Politico reports. The woman, a former Democratic congressional aide who did not wish to be named, told Politico that Franken tried to kiss her without her consent during a taping of his radio show in 2006, before he was a senator.
"It was very quick and I think my brain had to work really hard to be like, 'Wait, what is happening?'" the woman told Politico. "But I knew whatever was happening was not right and I ducked. I was really startled by it and I just sort of booked it towards the door, and he said, 'It's my right as an entertainer.'"
The woman noted the similarities between her story and President Trump's crude comments on the infamous 2005 Access Hollywood tape: "Hearing Donald Trump say essentially the same thing that Al Franken said to me … was a real trigger," she said.
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In November, The Wrap remarked on Franken's reserved response to Trump's Access Hollywood tape, a reaction Breitbart went so far as to call "timid." Franken "seemed to hold his fire, not calling for Trump to step down as even other Republican candidates did," Breitbart went on.
Franken denied the allegation Wednesday as "categorically not true."
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
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