A 33-year old woman has accused Senator Al Franken of inappropriately grabbing her during a photo opp in 2010 at the Minnesota State Fair.
CNN reports that Lindsay Menz reached out to them on Thursday after Leeann Tweeden came forward with her account against Franken—complete with a 2006 photograph of Franken grabbing her breasts through a Kevlar vest while she slept. Menz’s story takes place after Franken was elected to Senate. She was at the Minnesota State Fair, attending to a local radio station’s booth sponsored by her father’s business, when Franken stopped by. Franke and Menz posed for a photo; during this photo opp, Menz claims that Franken groped her.
“[He] ‘pulled me in really close, like awkward close, and as my husband took the picture, he put his hand full-fledged on my rear,’ Menz said. ‘It was wrapped tightly around my butt cheek.’
‘It wasn’t around my waist. It wasn’t around my hip or side. It was definitely on my butt,’ she said, recalling that the brazen act lasted three or four seconds. ‘I was like, oh my God, what’s happening.’”
Menz later posted the photo of herself and Senator Franken to Facebook—in the photo, Franken and Menz are very close together, but their lower halves are not visible. CNN reports that Menz’s sister, Cari Thunker, commented “Sorry, but you two aren’t Bibles (sic) width apart” to which Menz responded “Dude — Al Franken TOTALLY molested me! Creeper!”
Franken issued an apology to Menz on Sunday, 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.”