Trump goes after “Al Frankenstien” on Twitter — despite his own history of assault allegations

President Donald Trump took a pair of shots at Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) on Twitter Thursday night over allegations that Franken groped a Los Angeles radio host in 2006, slamming a picture of the act as “really bad” — despite the many allegations of harassment and assault against Trump himself.

“The Al Frankenstien picture is really bad, speaks a thousand words. Where do his hands go in pictures 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6 while she sleeps? …..” Trump tweeted.

He chastised the Minnesota Democrat, who “just last week … was lecturing anyone who would listen about sexual harassment and respect for women.”

The “Lesley Stahl tape” Trump mentions is a reference to a 1995 New York magazine story about Saturday Night Live depicting Franken telling a joke about raping 60 Minutes correspondent Lesley Stahl.

“And, ‘I give the pills to Lesley Stahl. Then, when Lesley’s passed out, I take her to the closet and rape her,’” Franken is quoted as saying. “Or, ‘That’s why you never see Lesley until February.’ Or, ‘When she passes out, I put her in various positions and take pictures of her.’”

In a back-and-forth with fellow SNL comedians Jim Downey and Norm MacDonald, Franken and his castmates also jokes about Mickey Rooney raping Mike Wallace. “What about, ‘I drag Mike into my office and rape him. Right here! I guess that makes me bad,’” Franken says.

Trump’s tweets about Franken raised eyebrows given the president’s own history with allegations of sexual abuse. After the Washington Post reported in October 2016 on a 2005 tape of the former reality television star bragging backstage at Access Hollywood about sexually assaulting women, more than a dozen women came forward with allegations of their own.

“I’m automatically attracted to beautiful — I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait,” Trump said in the now-infamous Access Hollywood tape. “When you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab ’em by the pussy. You can do anything.”

Trump has denied the allegations against him, and in October, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders reiterated his stance that all the women making accusations are liars.

The president has yet to make a definitive statement on Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore, who faces allegations of sexual assault and inappropriate behavior toward several Alabama women.

Twitter was quick to pick up the irony.

Will you support Vox’s explanatory journalism?

Most news outlets make their money through advertising or subscriptions. But when it comes to what we’re trying to do at Vox, there are a couple reasons that we can't rely only on ads and subscriptions to keep the lights on.

First, advertising dollars go up and down with the economy. We often only know a few months out what our advertising revenue will be, which makes it hard to plan ahead.

Second, we’re not in the subscriptions business. Vox is here to help everyone understand the complex issues shaping the world — not just the people who can afford to pay for a subscription. We believe that’s an important part of building a more equal society. We can’t do that if we have a paywall.

That’s why we also turn to you, our readers, to help us keep Vox free. If you also believe that everyone deserves access to trusted high-quality information, will you make a gift to Vox today?

One-Time Monthly Annual

$5/month

$10/month

$25/month

$50/month

Other

$

Yes, I'll give $5/month

Yes, I'll give $5/month

We accept credit card, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. You can also contribute via