A second woman has come forward and accused Senator Al Franken (D-Minn.) of allegedly groping her. Lindsey Menz, 33, told CNN Franken grabbed her buttocks in 2010 while posing for a photo at the Minnesota State Fair. According to CNN, this is the first allegation against Franken during his position as a senator.
This allegation comes days after Leeann Tweeden, a local radio news anchor in California, said Franken allegedly groped her and forcibly kissed her in 2006 when Franken was still a comedian. Franken has issued an apology to Tweeden and called for an ethics investigation to begin against himself.
Menz said she attended the Minnesota State Fair in 2010 with her husband and father, according to CNN. She said she spent the day taking photos with various elected officials and political candidates as they stopped by a local radio station's booth which her father's small business was sponsoring.
When Franken approached the booth, Menz said her husband took a photo of the two of them. She said Franken pulled her in really close and "put his hand full-fledged on my rear." According to CNN, Menz said the alleged attack lasted three to four seconds.
After the photo was taken, Menz said she walked away from Franken without saying anything. She said she approached her husband and said: "He totally grabbed my butt."
Franken wrote a statement to CNN and said he does not remember taking this photo and felt "badly" Menz felt disrespected.
According to CNN, Minnesota statutes state intentional touching of the buttocks, when covered by clothing, is not considered criminal sexual conduct.
Social media response
Tweeden said on "Good Morning America", she came forward with her allegations so other women would also feel empowered enough to share their stores. Since the #metoo campaign--a movement formed to empower sexual assault survivors to share their stories--began thousands of survivors have come forward to share their experiences.
Twitter users tweeted their comments on Menz's and Tweeden's allegations since they shared them.
@amyklobuchar @SenGillibrand Don’t need an “ethics” panel tosee a rat. @alfranken should resign so Dayton can appoint someone of character.
— Brit Ko (@brithko) November 20, 2017
@amyklobuchar @SenGillibrand Don’t need an “ethics” panel tosee a rat. @alfranken should resign so Dayton can appoint someone of character.
— Brit Ko (@brithko) November 20, 2017
President Donald Trump tweeted his opinion last week after Tweeden shared a photo of Franken allegedly groping her.
The Al Frankenstien picture is really bad, speaks a thousand words. Where do his hands go in pictures 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6 while she sleeps? .....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 17, 2017
Tweeden's allegations
Leanne Tweeden said in a blog post last week Franken, who was still a comedian at the time, forcibly kissed her without her consent during a skit rehearsal they would both perform during a 2006 USO comedian tour in Afghanistan. Additionally, she posted a photo which she claims is Franken allegedly groping her while she is asleep on a military plane.
