Al Franken’s complicated history with sexual assault comments

Sen. Al Franken, accused of groping and kissing a radio host 11 years ago, recently condemned Harvey Weinstein for the sexual assault allegations against him, but regularly joked about vile acts before entering professional politics.

Journalist Leeann Tweeden on Thursday said the Minnesota Democrat of forcibly kissing and groping her during a USO trip to Afghanistan, before he ran for Senate.

A photo showed him grabbing at a flak jacket-clad Tweeden’s breasts while she was asleep on the way home.

Franken later welcomed an ethics investigation in a lengthy statement.

Last month, Franken condemned Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, whom dozens of women have accused of sexual harassment or assault.

“The women who have shared their stories about Harvey Weinstein over the last few days are incredibly brave. It takes a lot of courage to come forward, and we owe them our thanks,” Franken wrote in an Oct. 10 Facebook post after the first stories about Weinstein broke.

Franken, citing an op-ed by former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson, wrote lawmakers need to reform regulations that help harassment claims under the rug.

“I encourage victims to stand up and tell their stories, which I know requires immense bravery. And I'm hopeful that we'll see changes in our laws and our culture that will allow,” Franken wrote.

Weinstein had donated to the former “Saturday Night Live” writer’s political campaigns.

After the first women came forward about Weinstein, Franken’s spokesman said the movie mogul’s contributions would be given to the Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Center.

Franken has gained a reputation for touting legislation that protected people from domestic violence or sexual assault.

He later broke down on the Senate floor in 2012 when arguing in favor of reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act.

The lawmaker choked up as he discussed the late Sheila Wellstone, a Minnesotan who worked to protect domestic abuse victims.

Franken came into office in mid-2009, after a hard-fought general election the prior fall that ended in a recount.

One of his first pieces of legislation was an amendment to block contacts between the Defense Department and private companies who ban their workers from suing for jobsite sexual harassment or discrimination.

“This is such an important amendment such an important issue, and I wanted to talk about it,” he reportedly said at the time.

But before making a run for Senate, Franken’s comedy often had a sexually aggressive tone to them.

In 2000, Franken suggested during a roast of Rob Reiner that the “Stand by Me” director was regularly sodomized by his father, comedian Carl Reiner.

Franken’s bit went on to suggest that Carl Reiner would regularly allow his friends to also sodomize a young Rob.

And during Franken’s 2008 Senate run, a controversial joke he made to New York magazine in 1995 about "SNL" was unearthed.

Franken, discussing a bit about commentator Andy Rooney, went off on a tangent about a potential skit in which CBS News’ Leslie Stahl is raped.

“And, ‘I give the pills to Lesley Stahl. Then, when Lesley's passed out, I take her to the closet and rape her.’ 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.’”

Franken later apologized for the remark and acknowledged it was offensive.