Senator Al Franken Accused of Groping a Woman While in Office

A second woman has accused Senator Al Franken of groping, CNN has reported. According to Lindsay Menz, the unwanted touching occurred while the two were posing for a photo at the Minnesota State Fair in 2010. The former comedian was elected to the Senate in 2008, making this the first accusation of inappropriate touching while he was in office. Last week, news anchor Leann Tweeden said that Franken forcibly kissed and groped her during a 2006 USO tour. Franken issued an apology in response.

According to CNN, Menz met the Senator at a booth at the State Fair when her husband snapped a photo of them. She said Franken “pulled me in really close, like awkward close, and as my husband took the picture, he put his hand full-fledged on my rear. It was wrapped tightly around my butt cheek.” Her husband, Jeremy Menz, noticed something but couldn’t see what was happening. “He reached around her and kind of pulled her into him,” he said.

She later posted the photo on her Facebook account with the caption, “Dude — Al Franken TOTALLY molested me! Creeper!”

Franken issued a statement to CNN, saying: “I take thousands of photos at the State Fair surrounded by hundreds of people, and I certainly don’t remember taking this picture. I feel badly that Ms. Menz came away from our interaction feeling disrespected.”