Who is Lindsay Menz, the second woman to accuse Al Franken of sexual misconduct
A second woman has officially come forward with allegations that Senator Al Franken inappropriately groped her. In a statement to CNN, 33-year-old Lindsay Menz claimed that Franken grabbed her buttocks during a photo-op at the Minnesota State Fair in 2010. This comes on the heels of allegations that Franken groped Los Angeles newscaster Leann Tweeden during a 2006 USO tour.
According to Menz, she met Senator Franken at a fair booth she was running for her father’s small business. After a brief chat, Menz posed alongside Franken for a photo. This is when she says things took a sudden turn.
“(Franken) pulled me in really close, like awkward close, and as my husband took the picture, he put his hand full-fledged on my rear. It was wrapped tightly around my butt cheek. It wasn’t around my waist. It wasn’t around my hip or side. It was definitely on my butt. I was like, oh my God, what’s happening.”
Menz, a stay-at-home mother of three, currently resides in Texas where she and her husband relocated back in 2014. She says she has decided to come forward with her story to empower other women who might find themselves in similar uncomfortable situations.
Although Menz never mentioned the incident to Franken himself, she did immediately tell her husband and father about what had occurred. She also discussed what happened on Facebook, referring to Franken as a “creeper.”
Franken claims he does not remember the incident with Menz, but has apologized if she felt “disrespected.” Perhaps it would be more appropriate to take Menz at her word and apologize for his behavior towards her. Until then, we stand with Menz and applaud her for speaking out.
