Flashback: Franken spoke out on Weinstein, sexual harassment

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Senator Al Franken accused of sexual harassment

Senator Al Franken (D., Minn.) apologizes to radio broadcaster Leann Tweeden who claims that he forcefully kissed her while rehearsing a skit and groped her while she was asleep on a plane during a U.S.O. trip in 2006 before he took public office. Here are the shocking allegations.

Democratic Sen. Al Franken was quick to speak out on sexual harassers like Harvey Weinstein in recent weeks.

Now that a Los Angeles radio host is accusing the Minnesota lawmaker of groping her a decade ago, those comments are back in the spotlight.

Last month, Franken posted across multiple social media platforms his praise for the “incredibly brave” women who came forward to accuse Hollywood producer Weinstein of sexual assault and harassment.

“The women who have shared their stories about Harvey Weinstein over the last few days are incredibly brave. It takes a lot of courage to come forward, and we owe them our thanks,” Franken wrote on Facebook in a post on Oct. 10. “And as we hear more and more about Mr. Weinstein, it’s important to remember that while his behavior was appalling, it’s far too common.”

During the early days of the Weinstein allegations, Franken, who received political contributions from the Hollywood giant, gave those contributions to the Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Center, according to a Washington Post report.

Franken tweeted last month that “we must address sexual harassment. Reforming arbitration laws will ensure survivors can seek justice in court.”

Franken even tweeted out, thanking the “courageous ppl” who shared the #MeToo hashtag that was trending on social media.

“Thx to courageous ppl who’ve shared #MeToo stories, incl. @SenatorHeitkamp, @maziehirono, @clairecmc, & @SenWarren,” Franken tweeted in October.

Back to the present: Franken was accused on Thursday by Leeann Tweeden, a California TV host and sports radio broadcaster, who detailed the alleged incident in a blog post. Tweeden also shared a picture of what seems to be a grinning Franken standing over her as she sleeps, with his hands over her breasts.

In a lengthy statement released Thursday, Franken apologized to Tweeden and offered to cooperate with an "ethics investigation."

“I respect women.  I don't respect men who don't.  And the fact that my own actions have given people a good reason to doubt that makes me feel ashamed," Franken said, adding that he was asking for an ethics investigation and would "gladly cooperate."

He added: “Over the last few months, all of us—including and especially men who respect women—have been forced to take a good, hard look at our own actions and think (perhaps, shamefully, for the first time) about how those actions have affected women."

AL FRANKEN ACCUSED OF KISSING, GROPING LA TV HOST WITHOUT CONSENT

Fox News' Barnini Chakraborty contributed to this report.