Senator Al Franken Accused of Kissing, Groping Supermodel Without Consent
Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty
Radio host and former Playboy model Leeann Tweeden has gone public with allegations that Senator Al Franken (D-MN) groped and kissed her without consent on a USO tour in 2006.
In a firsthand account on KABC, Tweeden says she and Franken were on a comedy tour together in 2006. Franken was the headlining comedian, and wrote several comedy sketches for the show. He wrote one sketch that involved him kissing Tweeden.
Tweeden says that Franken insisted they rehearse the kiss scene before the show, and when she reluctantly agreed, he aggressively kissed her with more force (and tongue) than she was prepared for or comfortable with. She refused to rehearse with him after that, and when they performed for the troops, she would turn her head away at the kiss scene.
More damning still is this photo, which Tweeden says she received from the USO photographer, taken while she was asleep:
Shit like this was never funny. Ppl may have laughed, someone may have gleefully snapped that pic, but this shit was NEVER funny to women pic.twitter.com/hEFwTI51PS
— Andy Richter (@AndyRichter) November 16, 2017
Yep, that’s definitely Senator Al Franken, and that’s definitely him groping Tweeden while she’s asleep.
It’s unclear what kind of consequences Franken may face for this, but it certainly undercuts his recent statement on Facebook in support of any victims of sexual harassment and abuse. Tweeden says she hopes her story will inspire any other potential victims to come forward with their own.