Politics

Senators To Give Al Franken’s PAC Money Back To Women’s Military Groups

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Two senators have announced that they will give back the money they’ve received from Democratic Minnesota Sen. Al Franken’s PAC after he was accused of sexually harassing a news anchor on Thursday morning.

“Sen. Gillibrand plans to give back all the money she’s received from Franken’s PAC — which aide says totals $12,500 — to the group Protect our Defenders. The group combats rape and sexual assault in the military,” CNN National Reporter MJ Lee tweeted Thursday.

NEW: Sen. Gillibrand plans to give back all the money she’s received from Franken’s PAC — which aide says totals $12,500 — to the group Protect our Defenders. The group combats rape and sexual assault in the military.

— MJ Lee (@mj_lee) November 16, 2017

Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin also announced she will donate the $20,000 her campaign received from Franken’s PAC to a group benefiting women veterans in the state,the Charlotte Observer reported.

The announcements come after news anchor Leeann Tweeden accused Franken of sexually harassing her multiple times during a USO entertainment tour in the Middle East in 2006. She alleges that Franken, a writer for “Saturday Night Live” at the time, wrote a script that featured him kissing her, and harassed her, according to KABC. (RELATED: Woman Accuses Senator Al Franken Of Molesting Her During USO Tour).

.@LeeannTweeden writes, “You…grabbed my breasts while I was sleeping and had someone take a photo of you doing it, knowing I would see it later, and be ashamed.”

The only person who should be ashamed in this photo is @SenFranken pic.twitter.com/sjHpwC9HKL

— Amber Athey (@amber_athey) November 16, 2017

“I certainly don’t remember the rehearsal for the skit in the same way, but I send my sincerest apologies to Leeann,” Franken responded in a statement. “As to the photo, it was clearly intended to be funny but wasn’t. I shouldn’t have done it.”

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