“Who the Hell Do You Think You Are?”
September 30, 2019 9:37 AM Subscribe
Yet another woman comes forward to accuse Al Franken of groping her. The military veteran, who is now a senior staffer at a major progressive organization, says that while working for U.S. Senator Patty Murray and posing for a picture at an event with Franken, he “puts his hand on my ass,” asks the photographer to take another picture to prolong the experience, and “gives me a little squeeze on my buttock.” She is the ninth woman to accuse Franken of inappropriate conduct and the fourth to accuse him specifically of groping her buttocks.
While Franken’s defenders claim that these accusations may be rooted in his physical zaniness, or that a lifetime of taking pictures as a celebrity might lead to misunderstandings, and prominent journalists and angry commenters across the Internet have aided Franken in his attempts to explain away his conduct without admitting to wrongdoing, no men have yet emerged to say that Franken “accidentally” grabbed them by the buttocks or groin or kissed them on the lips.
Franken’s comments this time? “Two years ago, I would have sworn that I’d never done anything to make anyone feel uncomfortable, but it’s clear that I must have been doing something. As I’ve said before, I feel terrible that anyone came away from an interaction with me feeling bad.” Perhaps he’ll make additional comments on the new radio show he’s been hired to host for SiriusXM.
The eight prior accusers are:
Lindsay Menz: “Menz told CNN that Franken grabbed her behind during a photo op at the Minnesota State Fair in 2010. Franken was serving as a U.S. Senator at the time of the alleged incident. She said that she had a cordial conversation with Franken, and then her husband took a photo of the two. Menz alleged that Franken ‘put his hand full-fledged on my rear… It was wrapped tightly around my butt cheek.’”
Stephanie Kemplin: “Kemplin, an Army veteran, told CNN in a story published on Thursday that Franken allegedly groped her in December 2003. She said she was stationed in Kuwait, and she met Franken when he toured with the USO. She said that Franken groped her right breast while the two took a photo. “I remember clenching up and how you just feel yourself flushed,” she told CNN. “And I remember thinking — is he going to move his hand? Was it an accident? Was he going to move his hand? He never moved his hand.”
Tina Dupuy: “In an essay for the Atlantic, Dupuy alleged that Franken groped her at a Media Matters party during President Barack Obama’s inauguration in 2009. “He immediately put his hand on my waist, grabbing a handful of flesh. I froze. Then he squeezed. At least twice,” Dupuy wrote. “Al Franken’s familiarity was inappropriate and unwanted. It was also quick; he knew exactly what he was doing.”
Leeane Tweeden: “Franken groped her and kissed her without her consent in 2006 when he was working as a comedian” in a sketch for a USO tour overseas, and then “grabbed her breasts while she slept on the flight home.”
A former Democratic congressional aide: “The unnamed woman told Politico that Franken tried to forcibly kiss her after the taping of his radio show in 2006 when she was in her mid-20s. She said that the alleged incident occurred once her boss had left the room. When she tried to leave the room, Franken allegedly told her: “It’s my right as an entertainer.’”
Two unnamed women: “Two anonymous women told the Huffington Post that Franken touched their behinds in two separate incidents. The first woman alleged that Franken groped her while they took a photo together at a June 2007 event hosted by the Minnesota Women’s Political Caucus. At the time of the alleged incident, Franken was running for the U.S. Senate. The second woman claimed that Franken grabbed her behind in 2008 at a Democratic fundraiser. She said that Franken then suggested that the two go to the bathroom together.”
An unnamed elected official in New England: “The woman told Jezebel that Franken attempted to give her a “wet, open-mouthed kiss” in 2006 at a live taping of Franken’s show at the time, Air America. “I was stunned and incredulous. I felt demeaned. I felt put in my place,” she told Jezebel about the alleged incident.”
Previously on Metafilter: The Case of Al Franken.
While Franken’s defenders claim that these accusations may be rooted in his physical zaniness, or that a lifetime of taking pictures as a celebrity might lead to misunderstandings, and prominent journalists and angry commenters across the Internet have aided Franken in his attempts to explain away his conduct without admitting to wrongdoing, no men have yet emerged to say that Franken “accidentally” grabbed them by the buttocks or groin or kissed them on the lips.
Franken’s comments this time? “Two years ago, I would have sworn that I’d never done anything to make anyone feel uncomfortable, but it’s clear that I must have been doing something. As I’ve said before, I feel terrible that anyone came away from an interaction with me feeling bad.” Perhaps he’ll make additional comments on the new radio show he’s been hired to host for SiriusXM.
The eight prior accusers are:
Lindsay Menz: “Menz told CNN that Franken grabbed her behind during a photo op at the Minnesota State Fair in 2010. Franken was serving as a U.S. Senator at the time of the alleged incident. She said that she had a cordial conversation with Franken, and then her husband took a photo of the two. Menz alleged that Franken ‘put his hand full-fledged on my rear… It was wrapped tightly around my butt cheek.’”
Stephanie Kemplin: “Kemplin, an Army veteran, told CNN in a story published on Thursday that Franken allegedly groped her in December 2003. She said she was stationed in Kuwait, and she met Franken when he toured with the USO. She said that Franken groped her right breast while the two took a photo. “I remember clenching up and how you just feel yourself flushed,” she told CNN. “And I remember thinking — is he going to move his hand? Was it an accident? Was he going to move his hand? He never moved his hand.”
Tina Dupuy: “In an essay for the Atlantic, Dupuy alleged that Franken groped her at a Media Matters party during President Barack Obama’s inauguration in 2009. “He immediately put his hand on my waist, grabbing a handful of flesh. I froze. Then he squeezed. At least twice,” Dupuy wrote. “Al Franken’s familiarity was inappropriate and unwanted. It was also quick; he knew exactly what he was doing.”
Leeane Tweeden: “Franken groped her and kissed her without her consent in 2006 when he was working as a comedian” in a sketch for a USO tour overseas, and then “grabbed her breasts while she slept on the flight home.”
A former Democratic congressional aide: “The unnamed woman told Politico that Franken tried to forcibly kiss her after the taping of his radio show in 2006 when she was in her mid-20s. She said that the alleged incident occurred once her boss had left the room. When she tried to leave the room, Franken allegedly told her: “It’s my right as an entertainer.’”
Two unnamed women: “Two anonymous women told the Huffington Post that Franken touched their behinds in two separate incidents. The first woman alleged that Franken groped her while they took a photo together at a June 2007 event hosted by the Minnesota Women’s Political Caucus. At the time of the alleged incident, Franken was running for the U.S. Senate. The second woman claimed that Franken grabbed her behind in 2008 at a Democratic fundraiser. She said that Franken then suggested that the two go to the bathroom together.”
An unnamed elected official in New England: “The woman told Jezebel that Franken attempted to give her a “wet, open-mouthed kiss” in 2006 at a live taping of Franken’s show at the time, Air America. “I was stunned and incredulous. I felt demeaned. I felt put in my place,” she told Jezebel about the alleged incident.”
Previously on Metafilter: The Case of Al Franken.
I was going to say “at least he can’t grope anyone on the radio,” but apparently I am a naive child. What an awful man.
posted by GenjiandProust at 10:11 AM on September 30, 2019 [8 favorites]
posted by GenjiandProust at 10:11 AM on September 30, 2019 [8 favorites]
Love to live in a world where sex pests need to be accused by a new victim every year to shame sex pest apologists back into resentful silence.
posted by grandiloquiet at 10:14 AM on September 30, 2019 [37 favorites]
posted by grandiloquiet at 10:14 AM on September 30, 2019 [37 favorites]
I’m sure this is somehow Roger Stone’s fault. /s
posted by Selena777 at 10:19 AM on September 30, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by Selena777 at 10:19 AM on September 30, 2019 [1 favorite]
The smart money's on Franken's new show becoming a nexus for the Intellectual Dork Web, where men get together to talk about how they were forced into the bosom of the alt-right by hysterical anti-sex feminists and political correctness run amok.
posted by klanawa at 10:19 AM on September 30, 2019 [4 favorites]
posted by klanawa at 10:19 AM on September 30, 2019 [4 favorites]
The smart money's on Franken's new show becoming a nexus for the Intellectual Dork Web, where men get together to talk about how they were forced into the bosom of the alt-right by hysterical anti-sex feminists and political correctness run amok.
How is he going to differentiate himself from the Rogans, Rubins, Shaprios, and Crowders of the world.
posted by Your Childhood Pet Rock at 10:23 AM on September 30, 2019 [1 favorite]
How is he going to differentiate himself from the Rogans, Rubins, Shaprios, and Crowders of the world.
posted by Your Childhood Pet Rock at 10:23 AM on September 30, 2019 [1 favorite]
Maybe now some bitchy men can get off Gillibrand's back. He has no business going back to the Senate.
From everything I hear, Tina Smith, the current junior MN senator, is great, and Minnesotans love her, and she's poised to cruise to victory in 2020. (Especially because her R challenger is an out-n-proud Trump bootlicker. Bad timing there.) So a sexual harasser, albeit a liberal and more-than-usually articulate, has been replaced by...a liberal WOMAN who worked for Planned Parenthood. I'd call that a "win."
The Democratic tent is a big tent. Walking the walk of being a good place for women - and LGBT people, and people of color - ought to be a given. It's not only the right thing to do, it builds our talent base. Look at how many of the freshman Democratic Congress class are women, POC, and/or LGBT.
Kirsten Gillibrand can sleep well at night knowing she did the absolute right thing, along with Patty Murray, Catherine Cortez-Masto, and the other women who stepped up to demand Franken's resignation. And if the reluctance of big money donors to back her presidential campaign means we get President Warren instead - I'd love to see Gillibrand send those donors a video of her singing "Who's Sorry Now?"
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 10:31 AM on September 30, 2019 [29 favorites]
From everything I hear, Tina Smith, the current junior MN senator, is great, and Minnesotans love her, and she's poised to cruise to victory in 2020. (Especially because her R challenger is an out-n-proud Trump bootlicker. Bad timing there.) So a sexual harasser, albeit a liberal and more-than-usually articulate, has been replaced by...a liberal WOMAN who worked for Planned Parenthood. I'd call that a "win."
The Democratic tent is a big tent. Walking the walk of being a good place for women - and LGBT people, and people of color - ought to be a given. It's not only the right thing to do, it builds our talent base. Look at how many of the freshman Democratic Congress class are women, POC, and/or LGBT.
Kirsten Gillibrand can sleep well at night knowing she did the absolute right thing, along with Patty Murray, Catherine Cortez-Masto, and the other women who stepped up to demand Franken's resignation. And if the reluctance of big money donors to back her presidential campaign means we get President Warren instead - I'd love to see Gillibrand send those donors a video of her singing "Who's Sorry Now?"
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 10:31 AM on September 30, 2019 [29 favorites]
At my mum’s yesterday, where most of my books are. Spotted “Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them”. Bastard.
posted by bookbook at 10:38 AM on September 30, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by bookbook at 10:38 AM on September 30, 2019 [1 favorite]
Eight women, plus photographic evidence, plus Franken's admissions did not just come from "russian troll farms."
posted by zombieflanders at 11:02 AM on September 30, 2019 [6 favorites]
posted by zombieflanders at 11:02 AM on September 30, 2019 [6 favorites]
It's not only the right thing to do, it builds our talent base.
Well, that's it in a sentence, isn't it. Well said. Everyone is replaceable, and there is some amazing talent ready to step up.
Franken: ugh. Stop foisting your gropey self on us; in fact, you're nearly 70, why not just retire and enjoy the rest of your life in private.
posted by LooseFilter at 11:14 AM on September 30, 2019 [12 favorites]
Well, that's it in a sentence, isn't it. Well said. Everyone is replaceable, and there is some amazing talent ready to step up.
Franken: ugh. Stop foisting your gropey self on us; in fact, you're nearly 70, why not just retire and enjoy the rest of your life in private.
posted by LooseFilter at 11:14 AM on September 30, 2019 [12 favorites]
How is he going to differentiate himself from the Rogans, Rubins, Shaprios, and Crowders of the world.
Are you suggesting that diversity would be a feature?
posted by klanawa at 11:45 AM on September 30, 2019 [2 favorites]
Are you suggesting that diversity would be a feature?
posted by klanawa at 11:45 AM on September 30, 2019 [2 favorites]
I no longer have it, but years ago my sister got me one of Franken's books at an author event. Next to his signature he wrote: "Hey [sugar and confetti], nice sis!" with a little winking face. This was after he was elected to the Senate. My sister hadn't actually looked at what he wrote until after she gave me the book, and she was creeped the fuck out.
None of this shit is surprising in the least to me.
posted by sugar and confetti at 11:57 AM on September 30, 2019 [11 favorites]
None of this shit is surprising in the least to me.
posted by sugar and confetti at 11:57 AM on September 30, 2019 [11 favorites]
I worked on Franken's first campaign. I was brought in with the rest of my team from a progressive advocacy organization to help out with the recount effort. I spent a month working around the clock to make sure the votes were fairly counted and that he got to serve. I don't regret that because he was actually elected by the people of Minnesota, and he was certainly better than his opponent, Norm Coleman, who has his own shitty issues.
But seriously, fuck everyone who acts like the reactions to Franken were a witch hunt and that he didn't deserve what happened to him. I know so many women who left politics partly or chiefly because of the rampant sexism (including myself) and behavior like this is part of that rampant sexism. I care more about those women than I care about guys like Franken.
posted by lunasol at 12:36 PM on September 30, 2019 [42 favorites]
But seriously, fuck everyone who acts like the reactions to Franken were a witch hunt and that he didn't deserve what happened to him. I know so many women who left politics partly or chiefly because of the rampant sexism (including myself) and behavior like this is part of that rampant sexism. I care more about those women than I care about guys like Franken.
posted by lunasol at 12:36 PM on September 30, 2019 [42 favorites]
"Love to live in a world where sex pests need to be accused by a new victim every year to shame sex pest apologists back into resentful silence."
Explains why many exterminators only offer a subscription service plan?
posted by bz at 2:04 PM on September 30, 2019
Explains why many exterminators only offer a subscription service plan?
posted by bz at 2:04 PM on September 30, 2019
Patty Murray was groped when she first went to the Senate, iirc in the 90s. This was known and public 20 years ago? Did she talk to Patty?
posted by baegucb at 6:57 PM on September 30, 2019
posted by baegucb at 6:57 PM on September 30, 2019
> Patty Murray was groped when she first went to the Senate, iirc in the 90s. This was known and public 20 years ago? Did she talk to Patty?
Murray says she didn't know about it at the time.
posted by The corpse in the library at 9:35 AM on October 3, 2019 [1 favorite]
Murray says she didn't know about it at the time.
posted by The corpse in the library at 9:35 AM on October 3, 2019 [1 favorite]
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posted by Your Childhood Pet Rock at 9:55 AM on September 30, 2019 [36 favorites]