LA radio anchor Leeann Tweeden said last week Senator Al Franken had put his tongue in her mouth.  Another woman, Lindsay Menz, said Monday that Franken had squeezed her buttocks in 2010 while posing for a photo.  Two more women alleged in a Huffington Post story published Wednesday that Senator Franken grabbed their butts during campaign events in 2007 and 2008.  Senator Al Franken “responds:

“I’ve met tens of thousands of people and taken thousands of photographs, often in crowded and chaotic situations. I’m a warm person; I hug people. I’ve learned from recent stories that in some of those encounters, I crossed a line for some women – and I know that any number is too many. Some women have found my greetings or embraces for a hug or photo inappropriate, and I respect their feelings about that.”

“I’ve thought a lot in recent days about how that could happen, and recognize that I need to be much more careful and sensitive in these situations. I feel terribly that I’ve made some women feel badly and for that I am so sorry, and I want to make sure that never happens again. And let me say again to Minnesotans that I’m sorry for putting them through this and I’m committed to regaining their trust.”  ~ Senator Al Franken

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