Sen. Al Franken Accused of Sex Attacks; Disturbing Photo Posted Online

[polychronopolous]

Epic response by Leeann Tweeden. Just Brutal.

He is SO toast.

Leeann Tweeden‏Verified account
@LeeannTweeden
 3h3 hours ago
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I’ve decided it’s time to tell my story. #MeToo

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Senator Al Franken Kissed and Groped Me Without My Consent, And There’s Nothing Funny About It

By Leeann Tweeden

In December of 2006, I embarked on my ninth USO Tour to entertain our troops, my eighth to the Middle East since the 9/11 attacks. My father served in Vietnam and my then-boyfriend (and now husband, Chris) is a pilot in the Air Force, so bringing a ‘little piece of home’ to servicemembers stationed far away from their families was both my passion and my privilege.



Also on the trip were country music artists Darryl Worley, Mark Wills, Keni Thomas, and some cheerleaders from the Dallas Cowboys. The headliner was comedian and now-senator, Al Franken.

Franken had written some skits for the show and brought props and costumes to go along with them. Like many USO shows before and since, the skits were full of sexual innuendo geared toward a young, male audience.

As a TV host and sports broadcaster, as well as a model familiar to the audience from the covers of FHM, Maxim and Playboy, I was only expecting to emcee and introduce the acts, but Franken said he had written a part for me that he thought would be funny, and I agreed to play along.

When I saw the script, Franken had written a moment when his character comes at me for a ‘kiss’. I suspected what he was after, but I figured I could turn my head at the last minute, or put my hand over his mouth, to get more laughs from the crowd.

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.’

He continued to insist, and I was beginning to get uncomfortable.

He repeated that actors really need to rehearse everything and that we must practice the kiss. I said ‘OK’ so he would stop badgering me. We did the line leading up to the kiss and then he came at me, put his hand on the back of my head, mashed his lips against mine and aggressively stuck his tongue in my mouth.

I immediately pushed him away with both of my hands against his chest and told him if he ever did that to me again I wouldn’t be so nice about it the next time.

I walked away. All I could think about was getting to a bathroom as fast as possible to rinse the taste of him out of my mouth.

I felt disgusted and violated.

Not long after, I performed the skit as written, carefully turning my head so he couldn’t kiss me on the lips.

No one saw what happened backstage. I didn’t tell the Sergeant Major of the Army, who was the sponsor of the tour. I didn’t tell our USO rep what happened.

At the time I didn’t want to cause trouble. We were in the middle of a war zone, it was the first show of our Holiday tour, I was a professional, and I could take care of myself. I told a few of the others on the tour what Franken had done and they knew how I felt about it.

I tried to let it go, but I was angry.

Other than our dialogue on stage, I never had a voluntary conversation with Al Franken again. I avoided him as much as possible and made sure I was never alone with him again for the rest of the tour.

Franken repaid me with petty insults, including drawing devil horns on at least one of the headshots I was autographing for the troops.

But he didn’t stop there.

The tour wrapped and on Christmas Eve we began the 36-hour trip home to L.A. After 2 weeks of grueling travel and performing I was exhausted. When our C-17 cargo plane took off from Afghanistan I immediately fell asleep, even though I was still wearing my flak vest and Kevlar helmet.

It wasn’t until I was back in the US and looking through the CD of photos we were given by the photographer that I saw this one:

 



 

I couldn’t believe it. He groped me, without my consent, while I was asleep.

I felt violated all over again. Embarrassed. Belittled. Humiliated.

How dare anyone grab my breasts like this and think it’s funny?

I told my husband everything that happened and showed him the picture.

I wanted to shout my story to the world with a megaphone to anyone who would listen, but even as angry as I was, I was worried about the potential backlash and damage going public might have on my career as a broadcaster.

But that was then, this is now. I’m no longer afraid.

Today, I am the news anchor on McIntyre in the Morning on KABC Radio in Los Angeles. My colleagues are some of the most supportive people I’ve ever worked with in my career. Like everyone in the media, we’ve been reporting on the Harvey Weinstein sexual misconduct allegations since they broke, and the flood of similar stories that have come out about others.

A few weeks ago, we had California Congresswoman Jackie Speier on the show and she told us her story of being sexually assaulted when she was a young Congressional aide. She described how a powerful man in the office where she worked ‘held her face, kissed her and stuck his tongue in her mouth.’

At that moment, I thought to myself, Al Franken did that exact same thing to me.

I had locked up those memories of helplessness and violation for a long time, but they all came rushing back to me and my hands clinched into fists like it was yesterday.

I’m still angry at what Al Franken did to me.

Every time I hear his voice or see his face, I am angry. I am angry that I did his stupid skit for the rest of that tour. I am angry that I didn’t call him out in front of everyone when I had the microphone in my hand every night after that. I wanted to. But I didn’t want to rock the boat. I was there to entertain the troops and make sure they forgot about where they were for a few hours. Someday, I thought to myself, I would tell my story.

That day is now.

Senator Franken, you wrote the script. But there’s nothing funny about sexual assault.

You wrote the scene that would include you kissing me and then relentlessly badgered me into ‘rehearsing’ the kiss with you backstage when we were alone.

You knew exactly what you were doing. You forcibly kissed me without my consent, grabbed my breasts while I was sleeping and had someone take a photo of you doing it, knowing I would see it later, and be ashamed.

While debating whether or not to go public, I even thought to myself, so much worse has happened to so many others, maybe my story isn’t worth telling? But my story is worth telling.

Not just because 2017 is not 2006, or because I am much more secure in my career now than I was then, and not because I’m still angry.

I’m telling my story because there may be others.

I want to have the same effect on them that Congresswoman Jackie Speier had on me. I want them, and all the other victims of sexual assault, to be able to speak out immediately, and not keep their stories –and their anger– locked up inside for years, or decades.

I want the days of silence to be over forever.

Leeann Tweeden is morning news anchor on TalkRadio 790 KABC in Los Angeles

[Soul Crusher]

Not counting virtually the entire male staff at Fox News, Roy Moore, and Donald Trump (just the first few that come to mind)

I don't watch TV - its poison.  

[polychronopolous]

Then by all means, please feel free to do so. 

Why ‘Al Franken for president’ isn’t as crazy as you might think



By Chris Cillizza February 6

Ever since Donald Trump won the 2016 election, people have been asking me who Democrats could — and/or should — put up against him when, presumably, he seeks reelection in 2020.

My rote answer goes something like this: Someone who is not a politician.

Why? Because Trump won by casting himself as the ultimate outsider to a political system that lots and lots of Americans — in both parties — hate. As a celebrity (and not a politician), Trump was held to a different standard of behavior, too. Things that would have ended — or badly handicapped — other candidates bounced off Trump with little damage done.

Nominate just another politician in 2020 and, I've believed, Democrats are playing into Trump's hands — allowing him to continue to run as an outsider and against a broken system despite the fact that he will have spent four years in the White House. Pick a Mark Cuban or Starbucks founder Howard Schultz, on the other hand, and now you are fighting Trump on equal terms.

A column Monday morning by National Journal's Josh Kraushaar made me rethink my insistence that Democrats would be best served by nominating someone who's never run for office. In the piece, Kraushaar writes the following about Sen. Al Franken of Minnesota:

He’s emerged as one of the Demo­crats’ most ag­gress­ive and ef­fect­ive ques­tion­ers of Pres­id­ent Trump’s Cab­in­et nom­in­ees. He’s gen­er­ated nu­mer­ous made-for-TV clips as one of the few Demo­crats will­ing to go full-bore against his party’s top tar­gets — Jeff Ses­sions, Tom Price, and Betsy De­Vos. He’s fi­nally show­ing some per­son­al­ity in the Sen­ate, punc­tu­ated by his laugh-out-loud ex­change with En­ergy Sec­ret­ary-des­ig­nate Rick Perry. And he’ll be one of nine Demo­crats on the Ju­di­ciary Com­mit­tee ques­tion­ing Trump’s Su­preme Court nom­in­ee, Neil Gor­such. This is Al Franken’s mo­ment in the spot­light, and if he chooses, he could par­lay his good for­tune in­to a bid for the pres­id­ency in 2020.

In the column, Kraushaar notes that Franken, once dismissed as the comedian running for the Senate, now has just the sort of résumé that makes him potential presidential material. Franken is a Harvard graduate. He's also a two-term senator who demonstrated an ability to win the very blue-collar Midwestern voters that Hillary Clinton could not in 2016. Franken won voters without a college degree by eight points in his 2014 reelection race; he won white voters without a college degree by four points. (Full Minnesota 2014 exit poll here.)

Kraushaar only touches on what I think is the most important appeal of Franken's candidacy: his celebrity. “In the age of Trump, be­ing a tele­vi­sion celebrity isn’t nearly the vul­ner­ab­il­ity that it once seemed,” Kraushaar writes.

I'd take it much further: I think being a celebrity (and a comic to boot!) — as Franken is from his days on “Saturday Night Live” — is a giant asset when running against Trump. And not only for the reasons I outline above. But also because Trump showed an ability and a willingness to attack on a very personal level in the course of the 2016 campaign — from “low energy” Jeb Bush to “Lyin’” Ted Cruz to “Crooked” Hillary Clinton. Who better to run against someone like that than a stand-up comedian who made a living needling people?

Need evidence of how well Franken can do this? Watch (or rewatch) his speech at the 2016 Democratic National Convention:

Now, Franken's most recent job is not as a comedian but as a senator. That could be a problem given how much people hate politics. But I can also see a scenario in which people want a celebrity and are drawn to someone who values frank talk but also, after four years of President Trump, value someone with a little bit of background in how the federal government works. Franken is a unique hybrid of entertainer and politician, if Democratic voters are looking for someone like that come 2020

[Straw Man]

Then by all means, please feel free to do so. 

Why ‘Al Franken for president’ isn’t as crazy as you might think



By Chris Cillizza February 6

Ever since Donald Trump won the 2016 election, people have been asking me who Democrats could — and/or should — put up against him when, presumably, he seeks reelection in 2020.

My rote answer goes something like this: Someone who is not a politician.

Why? Because Trump won by casting himself as the ultimate outsider to a political system that lots and lots of Americans — in both parties — hate. As a celebrity (and not a politician), Trump was held to a different standard of behavior, too. Things that would have ended — or badly handicapped — other candidates bounced off Trump with little damage done.

Nominate just another politician in 2020 and, I've believed, Democrats are playing into Trump's hands — allowing him to continue to run as an outsider and against a broken system despite the fact that he will have spent four years in the White House. Pick a Mark Cuban or Starbucks founder Howard Schultz, on the other hand, and now you are fighting Trump on equal terms.

A column Monday morning by National Journal's Josh Kraushaar made me rethink my insistence that Democrats would be best served by nominating someone who's never run for office. In the piece, Kraushaar writes the following about Sen. Al Franken of Minnesota:

He’s emerged as one of the Demo­crats’ most ag­gress­ive and ef­fect­ive ques­tion­ers of Pres­id­ent Trump’s Cab­in­et nom­in­ees. He’s gen­er­ated nu­mer­ous made-for-TV clips as one of the few Demo­crats will­ing to go full-bore against his party’s top tar­gets — Jeff Ses­sions, Tom Price, and Betsy De­Vos. He’s fi­nally show­ing some per­son­al­ity in the Sen­ate, punc­tu­ated by his laugh-out-loud ex­change with En­ergy Sec­ret­ary-des­ig­nate Rick Perry. And he’ll be one of nine Demo­crats on the Ju­di­ciary Com­mit­tee ques­tion­ing Trump’s Su­preme Court nom­in­ee, Neil Gor­such. This is Al Franken’s mo­ment in the spot­light, and if he chooses, he could par­lay his good for­tune in­to a bid for the pres­id­ency in 2020.

In the column, Kraushaar notes that Franken, once dismissed as the comedian running for the Senate, now has just the sort of résumé that makes him potential presidential material. Franken is a Harvard graduate. He's also a two-term senator who demonstrated an ability to win the very blue-collar Midwestern voters that Hillary Clinton could not in 2016. Franken won voters without a college degree by eight points in his 2014 reelection race; he won white voters without a college degree by four points. (Full Minnesota 2014 exit poll here.)

Kraushaar only touches on what I think is the most important appeal of Franken's candidacy: his celebrity. “In the age of Trump, be­ing a tele­vi­sion celebrity isn’t nearly the vul­ner­ab­il­ity that it once seemed,” Kraushaar writes.

I'd take it much further: I think being a celebrity (and a comic to boot!) — as Franken is from his days on “Saturday Night Live” — is a giant asset when running against Trump. And not only for the reasons I outline above. But also because Trump showed an ability and a willingness to attack on a very personal level in the course of the 2016 campaign — from “low energy” Jeb Bush to “Lyin’” Ted Cruz to “Crooked” Hillary Clinton. Who better to run against someone like that than a stand-up comedian who made a living needling people?

Need evidence of how well Franken can do this? Watch (or rewatch) his speech at the 2016 Democratic National Convention:

Now, Franken's most recent job is not as a comedian but as a senator. That could be a problem given how much people hate politics. But I can also see a scenario in which people want a celebrity and are drawn to someone who values frank talk but also, after four years of President Trump, value someone with a little bit of background in how the federal government works. Franken is a unique hybrid of entertainer and politician, if Democratic voters are looking for someone like that come 2020

He does seem more "presidential" now

at least "modern day presidential" as Trump likes to refer to himself

[polychronopolous]

Ya don't say?

What a GREAT guy!!  

Al Franken may be the perfect senator for the Trump era — a deadly serious funnyman

By Karen Tumulty March 18

Sen. Al Franken is still seriously funny.

Instead of being known only for his humor, former SNL star Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) has gained a reputation for intense questions during confirmation hearings. (Video: Jayne Orenstein/Photo: Melina Mara/The Washington Post)
It was a half-hour before one of the sparsely attended committee hearings that take place almost every day on Capitol Hill — in this case, a session on energy infrastructure so dry it would not merit even the presence of a C-SPAN camera.

But in Al Franken’s suite of offices in the Hart Senate Office Building, the man still known best as one of the early stars of “Saturday Night Live” was going through an intense rehearsal with four aides.

How much, Franken wanted to know, are the Chinese spending on clean technology research? Where do things stand on the University of Minnesota’s study of torrefaction, a roasting process that produces better fuel for biomass energy production? And might there be a chance to ask a question about one of his favorite causes, loan guarantees for Native American reservations?

“I just want to keep bringing it up, so they keep hearing it,” Franken said, with a trace of a sigh.

Everyone is hearing a lot more from Minnesota’s junior senator these days.

At the dawn of a presidency that stretches the limits of late-night parody, and at a moment when an out-of-power Democratic Party is trying to find its voice, the former comedian and satirist may be having a breakout moment as a political star.

He is also finding it safe to be funny again.

Franken, now 65, barely made it to the Senate, taking his oath in July 2009 after a ballot recount that took eight months to resolve. So he spent his first term trying to prove he was not a joke — buttoning up his wit, buckling down on esoteric issues and sidestepping all but his home-state media.

“I won by 312 votes, right?” he said in an interview. “I had to show people that I was taking the job seriously, and I had come here for serious purposes, and I am still here for serious purposes. So I think I just felt like I was on probation.”

That diligence paid off in 2014, a disastrous year for Democrats nationally, when Franken was reelected with a double-digit margin.

In between, he developed a reputation on Capitol Hill for policy chops and penetrating questions — skills that have been on display during confirmation hearings of President Trump’s Cabinet nominees.

Franken “had an instinct for the legislative process, but the one talent that surprised me a little bit beyond that was his talent for cross-examination,” said political scientist Norman Ornstein, a close friend. “He has that Perry Mason quality.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/al-franken-has-found-a-new-role-in-the-trump-era/2017/03/18/247737bc-0b54-11e7-a15f-a58d4a988474_story.html?utm_term=.5182c119733f

[mazrim]

you're confusing masculinity with sexual orientation

sounds like you and 333 might be members of the Lyle Alzado branch of "heterosexuality"

Just another example of Grasping not able to comprehend phrases.

[Soul Crusher]

Just another example of Grasping not able to comprehend phrases.

The proto-typical typecast liberal male is a weak frail mal-nourished fag.   A twink,  a loser, a beta.   straw gets it.  We all do 

[Agnostic007]

He does seem more "presidential" now

at least "modern day presidential" as Trump likes to refer to himself

exactly.. The kiss story is gross. He was a pig for doing that. However her claim she was groped based on that picture is a little overboard. Looks like a staged photo where his hands were suspended over her chest. Bad taste, yep. Groping or assault... come on..

[Howard]

exactly.. The kiss story is gross. He was a pig for doing that. However her claim she was groped based on that picture is a little overboard. Looks like a staged photo where his hands were suspended over her chest. Bad taste, yep. Groping or assault... come on..

Good assessment and sums it up well.

The truth is most guys are PIGS when it comes to woman.
Most of us reverts to being juvenile "get biggers"
when we see a pretty girl with nice tits or sexy ass.

They actually had a scene in Sex and the City about construction worker making lewd sexual comments towards woman.
The 4 woman debated the pros/cons of sexual cat calls.
They concluded it was better to be called sexy, then ignored and considered ugly.

Obviously, most women have no desire to be raped or sexually assaulted by some pig.
BUT, I have a sneaking suspicion, they love attention from men who desire them.

[Soul Crusher]

exactly.. The kiss story is gross. He was a pig for doing that. However her claim she was groped based on that picture is a little overboard. Looks like a staged photo where his hands were suspended over her chest. Bad taste, yep. Groping or assault... come on..

If Trump did that you would be melting down.  typical liberal double standards

[Howard]

If Trump did that you would be melting down.  typical liberal double standards

I have no idea if he would or not.
BUT, the issue has become very tribal where their side gets an excuse while they point fingers at the other.

[Kazan]

I have no idea if he would or not.
BUT, the issue has become very tribal where their side gets an excuse while they point fingers at the other.

Well what do you expect? There was a time in this country when the people decided which direction things would go, now we sit back and let the government decide.

[Pray_4_War]

Liberalism is devouring itself.  This is good.

[polychronopolous]

Liberalism is devouring itself.  This is good.

[polychronopolous]

Longtime Bay Area radio anchor Melanie Morgan: Al Franken harassed me over political argument

By MARTHA ROSS | mross@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: November 16, 2017 at 1:30 pm | UPDATED: November 16, 2017 at 1:45 pm
Melanie Morgan, a longtime Bay Area conservative radio anchor, claimed Thursday that she was harassed with phone calls by Al Franken (D-Minn) in 2000, following a contentious debate on Bill Maher’s ABC late-night show “Politically Incorrect.”

Morgan, a former host on conservative talk station KSFO, made the allegations on Media Equalizer, a blog she co-founded. She said the harassment consisted of Franken aggressively trying to continue the argument off air and repeatedly calling her personal phone number to “badger” her.

 Melanie Morgan @MelMorgan1350
Al Franken stalked and harassed me. He scared the living hell out of me. It's all true. https://mediaequalizer.com/brian-maloney/2017/11/melanie-morgan-after-tv-appearance-al-franken-harassed-me-too …
1:35 PM - Nov 16, 2017
 215 215 Replies   2,227 2,227 Retweets  2,504 2,504 likes

Her allegations came a few hours after news broke that Los Angeles radio personality Leeann Tweeden had accused Franken, the former “Saturday Night Live” comedian, of “forcibly” kissing her and groping her during a USO tour in 2006.

Morgan, also a former reporter and anchor for KGO-TV, KGO, and most recently for KSRO talk radio in Sonoma County, said her “disturbing” encounter with Franken was sparked by a seemingly mundane discussion on Maher’s ABC show on August 19, 2000.

The topic was OMB budget numbers. Morgan said she was joined on the panel by Franken, actor William Baldwin, and then-Colorado Lt. Governor Joe Rogers.

“I was invited and unaware of who his guests were going to be that night. I’ve since learned that though few know this, Al Franken was actually a writer for the show,” Morgan said.

She said that she made a statement about the budget numbers, and Franken challenged her.

“I challenged him back,” she said. “It was about spending priorities, actually just a mundane discussion. But he obsessed over it.”

Once the show wrapped, Morgan said Franken wouldn’t leave her alone and insisted on continuing the argument.

“He approached me backstage, angrily called me out on those numbers and insisted he would prove he was right,” she said. “He wouldn’t leave me alone, he kept following me. As a woman, his presence and proximity to me felt very threatening and intimidating.”

She said he later approached the show’s producer to get her phone number, “which was a clear violation of network protocol.” But Franken got the phone number and “shocked” her by calling her home at least three times.

“I became fearful and called (the producer) to complain and asked her to tell him to back off,” said Morgan, who was afraid he might begin stalking her home in Northern California.

“By the third phone call I was outraged and terrified, as he is really disturbed,” Morgan said.

She said he finally left her alone after she threatened to call the police and report him.

Tweeden’s allegations earlier Thursday came two days after a hearing where lawmakers acknowledged sexual harassment is a pervasive problem on Capitol Hill. At the time of Tweeden’s encounter with Franken, he was an Air America radio host. He was elected to the Senate two years later in 2008.

Franken initially issued a brief apology to Tweeden and said he didn’t recall the incident the way she did, but he later issued a longer apology: “There’s no excuse” he said, the Washington Post reported.

He welcomed a Senate Ethics Committee investigation, saying he would “gladly cooperate.”

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) said he hoped there soon would be an investigation the ethics committee, which has the authority to recommend expelling a senator.

“Sexual harassment is never acceptable and must not be tolerated,” Schumer said in a statement.

[polychronopolous]

The Left Eats Itself. Twitter reaction from the Hollywood liberal crowd.

Alyssa Milano ✔@Alyssa_Milano
Zero tolerance. If we don’t hold all accountable for horrible behavior — nothing changes. Sorry, @SenAlFranken you should not be in a position to represent the female constituents in your state. https://twitter.com/leeanntweeden/status/931176738586890241 …
10:54 AM - Nov 16, 2017

terrycrews ✔@terrycrews
Amazing courage. @alfranken must be held accountable. Stay strong.💪🏾 https://twitter.com/leeanntweeden/status/931176738586890241 …
10:25 AM - Nov 16, 2017

Tom Arnold ✔@TomArnold
Stop it! I’m a liberal & know both of them & i believe @LeeannTweeden 100%. She’s a great mom & woman. @alfranken needs to own this right now or get out. https://twitter.com/cancun771/status/931193456432701440 …
10:22 AM - Nov 16, 2017

Mark Ruffalo ✔@MarkRuffalo
This is not acceptable. Not from anybody. Dem or Republican. https://twitter.com/vets4bernie/status/931192733930262528 …
10:48 AM - Nov 16, 2017

[Yamcha]

 

[polychronopolous]

God damn son, You are like the General George S. Patton of Memetic warfare. Just spectacular.

[Moontrane]

Strange always figured him to be a homo

This straightened him out: 

[Pray_4_War]

Haha!  Epic.  Remind me never to get in a meme war with Yamcha.

Biden is the best part I think.

[Agnostic007]

Good assessment and sums it up well.

The truth is most guys are PIGS when it comes to woman.
Most of us reverts to being juvenile "get biggers"
when we see a pretty girl with nice tits or sexy ass.

They actually had a scene in Sex and the City about construction worker making lewd sexual comments towards woman.
The 4 woman debated the pros/cons of sexual cat calls.
They concluded it was better to be called sexy, then ignored and considered ugly.

Obviously, most women have no desire to be raped or sexually assaulted by some pig.
BUT, I have a sneaking suspicion, they love attention from men who desire them.

I wouldn't go that far. While I agree, women typically enjoy attention from men, what Al did here is not ok. It was childish, it was demeaning and not what I expect from a representative in Congress. My only point is, her claiming she was groped and assaulted is a bit much. Pissed about it, I understand. Wanting an apology, absolutely. Frankin lost some credibility here because obviously at some point he was part of the problem

[Coach is Back!]

exactly.. The kiss story is gross. He was a pig for doing that. However her claim she was groped based on that picture is a little overboard. Looks like a staged photo where his hands were suspended over her chest. Bad taste, yep. Groping or assault... come on..

Thank you Kasie Hunt

[Agnostic007]

Thank you Kasie Hunt

Had to look that up.. but yeah..

[Coach is Back!]

Had to look that up.. but yeah..

Figures🙄

[SOMEPARTS]

Old "handsy" Joe.

If Mark Ruffalo is getting in on this against Franken then you know it's over. Bruce Banner, liberal twink who would've thunk it.