EDITORIAL: No joke — Sen. Al Franken joins list of accused harassers

Sen. Al Franken has lent his voice to important causes. He has championed affordable health care. He is a strong advocate on progressive education issues. He has stood up for immigrants and LGBTQ folks.

We have admired the man.

But now we learn that the former Saturday Night Live comedian also has a disgusting side, one that no amount of good works can excuse. Franken on Thursday become the latest famous and powerful man to be outed for sexually harassing a woman. He did so in 2006, two years before he was elected to the U.S. Senate.

The allegations against Franken are by no means as abhorrent as those facing the likes of Hollywood executive Harvey Weinstein, who has been accused of rape, or U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore of Alabama, who has been accused of molesting and pursuing underage girls years ago.

Yet, the accusations against Franken stand out because there is a photograph, and it speaks volumes. It reveals a classic case of objectifying and abusing a woman. There is no denying it.

A radio newscaster from California, Leeann Tweeden, released a photo early Thursday of Franken placing his hands on her breasts, which were covered by a military vest, while she slept on a military plane en route to the U.S. from the Middle East. The photo, in which Franken is offering the camera a big smile, is disturbing.

Franken and Tweeden were part of a group that traveled to the Middle East to entertain American troops fighting post-9/11 wars. In an article she wrote for radio station KABC’s website, Tweeden alleges that Franken forcibly kissed her and “aggressively” stuck his tongue in her mouth while rehearsing a comedy skit.

Franken apologized with two statements, the first short and hollow. In the second, he said, “It’s obvious how Leeann would feel violated by that picture. And, what’s more, I can see how millions of other women would feel violated by it.”

We can only hope that other powerful men are getting the message. Act like a goon and you will pay a price.

Franken has been talked about as a future president. That was before Thursday.

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