Former Rare Staff
A new feature in CNN tells the story of a woman who served her country in the U.S. Army and claims she was groped by Sen. Al Franken while stationed in Kuwait.
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According to Stephanie Kemplin, Franken groped her breast while he was on a USO tour of the Middle East in 2003.
“When he put his arm around me, he groped my right breast. He kept his hand all the way over on my breast,” Kemplin told CNN’s MJ Lee. “I’ve never had a man put their arm around me and then cup my breast. So he was holding my breast on the side.”
The veteran is also the victim of sexual assault in the military – a big reason she told me the recent Franken news has been so tough to take. https://t.co/nYfenlPrhK
— MJ Lee (@mj_lee) November 30, 2017
Lee writes that Kemplin repeatedly started crying when describing the pain of the incident, saying she was too shocked and embarrassed at the time to say anything. To get out of the situation, Kemplin said she shifted herself around until Franken’s hand was resting on her back instead of her breast, as shown in the picture above.
“I was in a war zone … You were on a USO tour — are you trying to boost the morale of the troops or are you trying to boost your own?” she wondered aloud about Franken. “I just feel so sorry for that young girl in that picture.”
Kemplin is the fifth women this month who has accused Franken of sexual impropriety. She is the second woman who alleges that Franken groped her on a USO tour. The first, radio personality Leeann Tweeden, provided the media with a photo that shows Franken mugging for the camera while groping her breast while she slept.
Weeks before her run-in with Franken, Kemplin was assaulted by another member of the Army whom she slept near. She explained to CNN that Franken’s intentions seemed clear — this was no accident.
