Report: New Al Franken accuser steps forward
An Army veteran has accused Sen. Al Franken of inappropriately touching her more than a decade ago while she was on a military deployment to Kuwait, CNN reports.
Stephanie Kemplin, 41, of Maineville, Ohio is the fifth women in the last two weeks to accuse the Minnesota Democrat of sexual harassment. The allegations have prompted the Senate Ethics Committee to investigate the matter.
Kemplin met Franken, a comedian at the time, when he was on a USO tour in December 2003, according to the report. Kemplin says Franken grabbed her right breast after she waited in line to take a photo with him.
Kemplin's claims are similar to that of model Leeann Tweeden, who came forward with claims earlier this month that Franken "kissed and groped" her without consent while entertaining troops on a USO Tour in December 2006. Franken issued an apology to Tweeden in response, which she accepted.
At least three other women has shared similar stories of posing for photos with Franken and being touched inappropriately.
"As Sen. Franken made clear this week, he takes thousands of photos and has met tens of thousands of people and he has never intentionally engaged in this kind of conduct. He remains fully committed to cooperating with the ethics investigation," a Franken spokesman told CBS News.
Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, according to the Washington Examiner, women who have accused President Bill Clinton of sexual misconduct stormed Franken's office on Wednesday, calling for the Minnesota senator to step down.
Accusers Juanita Broaddrick, Kathleen Willey and Leslie Millwee were outside Franken's office hoping to come face-to-face with the embattled lawmaker.
Franken delivered a statement outside of his Capitol Hill office regarding the allegations against him Monday afternoon, apologizing to his constituents, staff and the multiple women who have come forward accusing him of groping and other inappropriate behavior. He reemphasized that he does not plan to step down.
"I'm going to try and learn from my mistakes," Franken said. "And in doing so I've been doing a lot of reflecting and I want to be someone who adds something to this conversation, and I hope I can do that."
