Second woman accuses Franken

ST. PAUL, Minn. — A second woman has accused Sen. Al Franken of improper conduct, this time when he was a senator. The woman said the Democrat pulled her in tightly and put his hand on her buttocks in 2010 while posing for a picture at the Minnesota State Fair.

Lindsay Menz told CNN last week for a report broadcast Monday that the interaction with the senator from Minnesota made her feel “gross.” She said she immediately told her husband that Franken had “grabbed” her bottom and that she posted about it on Facebook.

Menz’s story came days after a Los Angeles broadcaster, Leeann Tweeden, accused Franken of forcibly kissing her during a 2006 USO tour. Franken already faced a Senate ethics investigation over Tweeden’s allegation, but the Menz allegation is potentially more damaging for Franken because it would be behavior that occurred while he was in office.

Franken told CNN he didn’t remember taking the photo with Menz, but said in a statement to the network that he feels badly that she felt disrespected.

“I take thousands of photos at the state fair surrounded by hundreds of people, and I certainly don’t remember taking this picture,” Franken told CNN. “I feel badly that Ms. Menz came away from our interaction feeling disrespected.”

Franken’s office did not respond to repeated Associated Press messages seeking comment.

With the Capitol empty due to Thanksgiving break, reactions to the latest allegation against Franken were muted compared to the outcry last week — and Democrats nationally and in Minnesota were silent.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican, repeated a statement from Thursday calling for an ethics investigation of Franken. After publicly denouncing Franken’s conduct and supporting that investigation last week, no powerful Democrats had spoken out by Monday afternoon about Menz’s allegations.

Menz, 33, who now lives in Frisco, Texas, said her father’s business was sponsoring a radio booth at the Minnesota fair and that she took photos with several elected officials and political candidates as they stopped at the booth.

She said as she posed with Franken, he “pulled me in really close, like awkward close, and as my husband took the picture, he put his hand fullfledged on my rear,” Menz said. “It was wrapped tightly around my butt cheek.”

Menz said she told her husband, Jeremy Menz, and father, Mark Brown, about it right away. Both men affirmed that to CNN. Menz also said she posted the photo with Franken on Facebook on Aug. 27, 2010, and when her sister commented on the photo, she replied: “Dude — Al Franken TOTALLY molested me! Creeper!”