Democratic U.S. Senator Al Franken is the latest high-profile man in power to face a sexual assault accusation, after a model-turned-radio host wrote Thursday that the longtime comedian and comic writer kissed and groped her without consent during a 2006 USA tour in Afghanistan.
Franken, a champion of women's causes, last month donated money his campaigns and political action committees have received from disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein to the Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Center.
And he responded to Weinstein's apparent history of serial sexual-assault last month in a stinging Facebook essay, saying that 'the disappointing responses women often face when they go public both embolden harassers and encourage victims to stay silent'."
But allegations from TalkRadio 790 KABC morning host Leeann Tweeden, who was a 23-year-old model at the time, could send Franken into the same reputational basket with him.
In reputation-saving mode, Franken's office sent a statement Thursday afternoon with a tepid apology.
'I certainly don’t remember the rehearsal for the skit in the same way, but I send my sincerest apologies to Leeann,' the senator says in the statement. 'As to the photo, it was clearly intended to be funny but wasn't. I shouldn't have done it.'
Just 24 hours earlier during a Senate confirmation hearing for a Texas jurist nominated to be a federal judge, Franken engaged in a back-and-forth about one of the nominee's humorous tweets about the right to marry bacon.
'I don’t get it,' Franken scolded Judge Don Willett. 'But sometimes when you don’t get a joke, it's because it wasn't a joke.'
Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell issued a swift statement of his own, calling for a congressional investigation into Tweeden's claims.
'As with all credible allegations of sexual harassment or assault, I believe the Ethics Committee should review the matter,' McConnell said. 'I hope the Democratic Leader will join me on this.'
'Regardless of party, harassment and assault are completely unacceptable – in the workplace or anywhere else,' McConnell added.
Franken said an hour later at the U.S. Capitol that he agrees.
'I am asking that an ethics investigation be undertaken, and I will gladly cooperate,' Franken said.
USO Campaign Manger Shannon Shannon Joyce told DailyMail.com that '[t]his incident was never reported to the USO. We have no knowledge of it.'
'The report is deeply disturbing and does not reflect the values of the USO,' Joyce added.