Army veteran claims Sen. Al Franken groped her on his 2003 USO tour

A fifth woman has come forward to accuse Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) of groping her, CNN reports. Army veteran Stephanie Kemplin, 41, claims Franken cupped her breast while they were taking a photo together on his 2003 USO tour.

"When he put his arm around me, he groped my right breast. He kept his hand all the way over on my breast," Kemplin told CNN. "I've never had a man put their arm around me and then cup my breast." Kemplin's older sister, Amy Muddiman, confirmed the account: "I just remember her telling me that he grabbed her breast and that she was so shocked about it," Muddiman said. "My sister is pretty bold and assertive and she said that she didn't know what to do."

CNN published the image, writing that "in a photo ... Kemplin — who was 27 at the time and a military police officer — is smiling widely with the left side of her face pressed against Franken's right cheek. Franken's right arm is wrapped around Kemplin's back and his hand is on her side at chest-level, and does not appear to be on her breast in the photo."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Kemplin's allegations follow radio host Leeann Tweeden's claim that Franken kissed and groped her during a 2006 USO tour. In the intervening days since Tweeden came forward, additional women have accused Franken of inappropriately touching them during photo ops.