Sexual harassment claims hit Congress, Senator apologises

A Democratic senator accused by a woman of forcibly kissing and groping her 11 years ago during a tour of military bases abroad, has apologised for his behaviour.

Al Franken, the senator from Minnesota, is the latest to be hit by an avalanche of allegations of sexual harassment by powerful men.

Franken moved swiftly to issue a statement apologizing to the victim, Leeann Tweeden, a TV broadcaster, and seeking an investigation of his conduct from a time preceding his term in the senate, by the chamber’s ethics committee, joining calls from both parties.

He owned up the accusation by his victim and apologized.

“The first thing I want to do is apologize: to Leeann, to everyone else who was part of that tour, to everyone who has worked for me, to everyone I represent, and to everyone who counts on me to be an ally and supporter and champion of women,” Franken wrote.

“I respect women. I don’t respect men who don’t,” he added. “And the fact that my own actions have given people a good reason to doubt that makes me feel ashamed.”

Here is what the victim had to say about it in a piece she wrote: “On the day of the show Franken and I were alone backstage going over our lines one last time. He said to me, ‘We need to rehearse the kiss.’ I laughed and ignored him. Then he said it again. I said something like, ‘Relax Al, this isn’t SNL…we don’t need to rehearse the kiss.’

WASHINGTON: