{"id":89503,"date":"2017-11-16T18:30:59","date_gmt":"2017-11-16T22:30:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/?p=89503"},"modified":"2017-11-16T18:30:59","modified_gmt":"2017-11-16T22:30:59","slug":"melanie-morgan-after-tv-appearance-al-franken-harassed-me-too","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/?p=89503","title":{"rendered":"Melanie Morgan: After TV appearance, Al Franken harassed me too"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><!--more-->By Brian Maloney<br \/>\nMedia Equalizer<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" src=\"http:\/\/static.mediaequalizer.com\/files\/uploads\/2017\/11\/16122239\/Franken-PI-ABC.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" srcset=\"http:\/\/static.mediaequalizer.com\/files\/uploads\/2017\/11\/16122239\/Franken-PI-ABC.jpg 480w, http:\/\/static.mediaequalizer.com\/files\/uploads\/2017\/11\/16122239\/Franken-PI-ABC-451x338.jpg 451w, http:\/\/static.mediaequalizer.com\/files\/uploads\/2017\/11\/16122239\/Franken-PI-ABC-300x225.jpg 300w\" alt=\"\" width=\"480\" height=\"360\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>Exclusive to the Media Equalizer<br \/>\nWith additional reporting from Martin Walsh<\/p>\n<p>Immediately raising questions about double-standards in the media and on Capitol Hill, a Los Angeles radio news anchor today accused Senator Al Franken (D-MN) of sexually assaulting her.<\/p>\n<p>Now, Media Equalizer Co-Founder Melanie Morgan has come forward as well, recounting her own experience with the onetime comedian, liberal radio host and activist. Morgan\u2019s disturbing encounter was sparked by daring to disagree with Franken during an August, 2000 edition of ABC\u2019s Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher.<span id=\"more-12877\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Earlier, a bombshell report published by\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.kabc.com\/2017\/11\/16\/leeann-tweeden-on-senator-al-franken\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">KABC<\/a>\u00a0on-air personality Leeann Tweeden accused Franken of kissing and groping her without her consent while she was asleep.<\/p>\n<p>Shockingly, Tweeden even provided\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.kabc.com\/2017\/11\/16\/leeann-tweeden-on-senator-al-franken\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">a photo as evidence,<\/a>\u00a0which shows Franken with his hands on her breasts while he smiles for the camera.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">KABC anchor: Senator Al Franken Kissed and Groped Me Without My Consent, And There\u2019s Nothing Funny About It <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/lG4A1ZTUhC\">https:\/\/t.co\/lG4A1ZTUhC<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/EYIzr9ok2s\">pic.twitter.com\/EYIzr9ok2s<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Meridith McGraw (@meridithmcgraw) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/meridithmcgraw\/status\/931180675994148864?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 16, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Tweeden said the sexual assault occurred in December 2006, when they were both on a USO Tour to support and entertain U.S. soldiers.<\/p>\n<div class=\"SandboxRoot env-bp-350\" data-twitter-event-id=\"0\"><\/div>\n<p>\u201cIt wasn\u2019t until I was back in the U.S. and looking through the CD of photos\u00a0we were given by the photographer that I saw this one,\u201d\u00a0Tweeden\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.kabc.com\/2017\/11\/16\/leeann-tweeden-on-senator-al-franken\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">wrote about the photo<\/a>\u00a0on in her KABC article.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI felt violated all over again. Embarrassed. Belittled. Humiliated,\u201d she wrote. \u201cHow dare anyone grab my breasts like this and think it\u2019s funny?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Tweeden said Franken had written a skit in which he would kiss Tweeden, where she said she \u201cagreed to play along.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen I saw the script, Franken had written a moment when his character comes at me for a \u2018kiss\u2019. I suspected what he was after, but I figured I could turn my head at the last minute, or put my hand over his mouth, to get more laughs from the crowd,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n<p>Tweeden wrote that Franken insisted that they rehearse the kiss several times before the show, which she said made her\u00a0\u201cuncomfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe repeated that actors really need to rehearse everything and that we must practice the kiss. I said \u2018OK\u2019 so he would stop badgering me. We did the line leading up to the kiss and then he came at me, put his hand on the back of my head, mashed his lips against mine and aggressively stuck his tongue in my mouth,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI immediately pushed him away with both of my hands against his chest and told him if he ever did that to me again I wouldn\u2019t be so nice about it the next time,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n<p>According to\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/franken-breasts-grabbed-woman-713588\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Newsweek<\/a>, Franken has since released a statement saying he didn\u2019t recall the incident.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI certainly don\u2019t remember the rehearsal for the skit in the same way, but I send my sincerest apologies to Leeann. As to the photo, it was clearly intended to be funny but wasn\u2019t. I shouldn\u2019t have done it,\u201d\u00a0he said in a statement.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-12891\" src=\"http:\/\/static.mediaequalizer.com\/files\/uploads\/2017\/11\/16132050\/Morgan-PI-2000-491x338.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 491px) 100vw, 491px\" srcset=\"http:\/\/static.mediaequalizer.com\/files\/uploads\/2017\/11\/16132050\/Morgan-PI-2000-491x338.jpg 491w, http:\/\/static.mediaequalizer.com\/files\/uploads\/2017\/11\/16132050\/Morgan-PI-2000-300x207.jpg 300w, http:\/\/static.mediaequalizer.com\/files\/uploads\/2017\/11\/16132050\/Morgan-PI-2000.jpg 620w\" alt=\"\" width=\"491\" height=\"338\" \/><\/p>\n<p>In response to the disturbing allegations made against Franken, Media Equalizer and Media Equality Project Co-Founder Melanie Morgan has come forward to recall her own frightening encounter, sparked by a seemingly-mundane and even obscure topic of political disagreement.<\/p>\n<p>Morgan, who was a ABC Radio talk show host for KSFO \/ San Francisco at the time,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.tvguide.com\/tvshows\/politically-incorrect\/episode-2611986\/203828\/\">appeared August 19, 2000 on ABC\u2019s late night show Politically Incorrect<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>She was joined by Franken, William Baldwin, and then-Colorado Lt. Governor Joe Rogers on the panel.<\/p>\n<p>Morgan and Franken had a dispute over the OMB\u2019s budget numbers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was invited and unaware of who his guests were going to be that night. I\u2019ve since learned that though few know this, Al Franken was actually a writer for the show,\u201d Morgan said.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-12910\" src=\"http:\/\/static.mediaequalizer.com\/files\/uploads\/2017\/11\/16134955\/Maher-3.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" srcset=\"http:\/\/static.mediaequalizer.com\/files\/uploads\/2017\/11\/16134955\/Maher-3.jpg 480w, http:\/\/static.mediaequalizer.com\/files\/uploads\/2017\/11\/16134955\/Maher-3-451x338.jpg 451w, http:\/\/static.mediaequalizer.com\/files\/uploads\/2017\/11\/16134955\/Maher-3-300x225.jpg 300w\" alt=\"\" width=\"480\" height=\"360\" \/><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI made a statement about the budget numbers, Franken challenged me, I challenged him back. It was about spending priorities, actually just a mundane discussion. But he obsessed over it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>After the show, Morgan said Franken wouldn\u2019t leave her alone, insisting on continuing the argument.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe approached me backstage, angrily called me out on those numbers and insisted he would prove he was right. He wouldn\u2019t leave me alone, he kept following me. As a woman, his presence and proximity to me felt very threatening and intimindating.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t realize his creepy behavior after the show meant it would continue in the days to come.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe approached Carol, the show\u2019s producer and demanded my home phone number, which was a clear violation of network protocol. I had thought that was the end of the story and was shocked when he started calling my home, badgering me repeatedly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI became fearful and called Carol to complain and asked her to tell him to back off. But he made another call after that. I thought that he might end up stalking me at my home in Northern California, it was that bad.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBy the third phone call I was outraged and terrified, as he is really disturbed,\u201d Morgan recounted.<\/p>\n<p>Morgan said Franken finally left her alone, but only after she pushed back and threatened \u201cto call the police and make a report that he was harassing me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>To this day, she says she is haunted by it: \u201cI never forgot that experience and it informed me of his lack of character and obsessive personality. I believe every word Leann wrote.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>With many calling on\u00a0Republican Alabama U.S. Senate candidate Judge Roy Moore to step aside following claims of sexual misconduct from decades ago, will Franken be asked to resign as senator?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI will happily testify before the Senate Ethics Committee, should a hearing be held regarding Franken\u2019s behavior,\u201d Morgan added.<\/p>\n<p>___<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/mediaequalizer.com\/brian-maloney\/2017\/11\/melanie-morgan-after-tv-appearance-al-franken-harassed-me-too\">http:\/\/mediaequalizer.com\/brian-maloney\/2017\/11\/melanie-morgan-after-tv-appearance-al-franken-harassed-me-too<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-89503","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89503","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=89503"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89503\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=89503"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=89503"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=89503"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}