When you make an argument it helps if you actually know what you are talking about
. Obviously you don't or it's deliberate.
8 women that we know of, multiple credible accusations of groping.
Leeann Tweeden: People who followed Franken’s resignation probably remember the photo of Franken grinning and placing his hands over the breasts of a woman in uniform while she was sleeping. Her name is Leeann Tweeden, and she was
the first to come forward with allegations against the former senator. On Nov. 16, 2017, she published her personal account of the incident on 790 KABC-AM radio’s website.
Tweeden said that Franken kissed her without her consent while on a December 2006 USO tour, after he pressed her to rehearse a sketch he wrote that called for them to kiss. She also provided a photo of Franken appearing to grab her breasts while she was sleeping.
Franken said at the time that he didn’t recall the skit rehearsal "the same way" as Tweeden, but he apologized. He also said the photo "was clearly intended to be funny but wasn’t" and he "shouldn’t have done it."
He issued
a more detailed apology to the press Nov. 16.
Lindsay Menz: At the 2010 Minnesota State Fair, Menz said Franken groped her
while her husband took a photo of the two of them. Menz quickly informed her husband, father and mother about the incident, and CNN confirmed their accounts.
Franken told CNN that he takes thousands of pictures with people and didn’t remember the photo. He added that he "(feels) badly that Ms. Menz came away from our interaction feeling disrespected."
Stephanie Kemplin: Kemplin alleged Franken
groped her while taking a picture with him. The picture was taken in December 2003, during another USO tour, and Kemplin provided the photo to CNN.
She said she shared her experience to her sister and an ex-boyfriend years before her allegations were made public. CNN verified that during interviews.
A spokesperson for Franken again said that he has taken thousands of photos with people before and added that he "never intentionally engaged in this kind of conduct."
"He remains fully committed to cooperating with the ethics investigation," the spokesperson told CNN.
Tina Dupuy: Dupuy published
a first-person essay detailing her allegations on Dec. 6, 2017.
Dupuy said that Franken groped her while taking a picture with him at a party hosted by Media Matters after President Barack Obama’s first inauguration, and she provided the photo of the two and other photos of herself at the party.
When PolitiFact asked her if there were any developments to her story since publication, she said that the piece is "current and correct" and that the "only change is more women with Franken encounters" have since been in contact with her.
Franken never commented on Dupuy’s essay.
The anonymous accounts
Franken has either explicitly denied or does not recall incidents mentioned in allegations made by four anonymous women.
The Huffington Post published an article on the allegations of
the first two anonymous accusers on Nov. 22, 2017. The two incidents both involved groping and occurred at Minneapolis events more than a year apart.
The first woman alleged that Franken groped her while the two were taking a picture June 25, 2007; she shared the experience at the time with friends that Huffington Post was able to interview but didn’t name.
Franken told the Huffington Post that he doesn’t recall the specific campaign events during which the incidents are alleged to have occurred.
The second anonymous woman said that, in addition to groping her, Franken asked her to join him in the bathroom. At the time, Franken said he "can categorically say that I did not proposition anyone to join me in any bathroom."
The third anonymous accuser was reported to be a
former New England elected official. The website Jezebel reported that it independently confirmed that the woman appeared on a live taping of Franken’s former radio station in 2006. Jezebel also interviewed the woman’s sister, who had been told of the incident at the time.
Jezebel reporter Anna Merlan told PolitiFact that she stands by the story of the anonymous elected official. She said Franken’s office told her they received her request to comment but never responded.
Finally, Politico reported that a
former congressional aide said Franken tried to forcibly kiss her after she left a taping of his radio show in 2006. Politico said her version of events was independently corroborated by two of the aide’s former colleagues.
Franken denied the claim, saying it was "categorically not true" and that he looked forward to cooperating with a Senate ethics investigation.
New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand was the first senator to call for former Minnesota Sen. Al Franken’s resignation
www.politifact.com
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