Craig Lassig/Reuters
A former New England elected official who declined to be named said Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) tried to give her a “wet, open-mouthed kiss” while onstage at an event in 2006, leaving her “stunned and incredulous.” The alleged incident, which occurred shortly before Franken made his run for the Senate, happened when she was being interviewed for a live taping of Franken’s Air America radio show. “I reached out my hand to shake his,” she said. “He took it and leaned toward me with his mouth open. I turned my head away from him and he landed a wet, open-mouthed kiss awkwardly on my cheek.” She said the incident made her feel “demeaned. I felt put in my place. It was onstage in front of a full theater... It was insidious. It was in plain sight and yet nobody saw it.” Five other women have recently accused the senator of touching them inappropriately. The accusation was published shortly after CNN military veteran Stephanie Kemplin’s recounting of allegedly being groped by Franken during a 2003 USO tour photo-op.