Sen. Al Franken has been hit with another allegation of attempting to forcibly kiss a woman after a taping of his Air America radio show and prior to his time as a senator. According to Politico, after a Democratic member of Congress appeared on Franken’s show in 2006, the host followed a congressional aide and attempted to corner and kiss her before she escaped the situation.
“He was between me and the door and he was coming at me to kiss me. It was very quick and I think my brain had to work really hard to be like ‘Wait, what is happening?’ But I knew whatever was happening was not right and I ducked,” the accuser told Politico. “I was really startled by it and I just sort of booked it towards the door and he said, ‘It’s my right as an entertainer.'”
The former aide is the seventh women to accuse Franken of inappropriate behavior, for which he is now being probed by the Senate Ethics Committee. Speaking to the biggest newspaper in Minnesota, Franken continued attempting to speak to his constituents while delivering a denial of the latest allegation:
In a statement sent Wednesday to the Star Tribune, Franken called this allegation “categorically not true and the idea that I would claim this as my right as an entertainer is preposterous. I look forward to fully cooperating with the ongoing ethics committee investigation.”
Previously, Franken has said he was “ashamed” about the incidents while at the same time claiming he “never intentionally engaged in that kind of conduct.”
(Via Star Tribune & Politico)