Uh---a minor point about Ms. Tweeden's veracity---

[Whiskeytide]

39. She said she knew nothing ...

... of the groping aspect until after they had returned and someone showed her the pic. She was asleep apparently.

Franken is obviously mugging for the camera. There is another man seated next to her, plus the photographer. So, if he actually did grope her, that would mean that he did so in front of at least two witnesses? I think that’s reasonably unlikely. Perhaps everyone on the plane was perfectly ok with actually feeling up a sleeping woman, but...

And a close examination of the photo does appear to show that he’s not actually touching her. He’s pretending to apparently as a gag. It was juvenile and stupid, and probably is an example of sexual harassment - but it doesn’t appear that the circumstantial evidence supports actual groping.

The OPs point is well taken, I think. She IS claiming the photo proves she was groped. That in and of itself suggests that she is making a misrepresentation. That entitles me to be a little suspect of her other claims. Add that to the fact that this seems to have been a fairly well orchestrated release, and I think it adds up to a political gambit.

That doesn’t excuse Franken for the pic - absurd and offensive to say the least - even for a comedian. And if her allegation of a forced kiss is true - that’s reprehensible. But I think that’s a big if. JMHO.