MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski referred to an accuser of Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) as a “Playboy model who goes on Hannity [and] voted for Trump” during a Friday morning discussion on Franken’s resignation announcement.
In Franken’s Thursday announcement of his intention to resign from the Senate, he said that some of the eight accusations of sexual misconduct made against him were false and that he remembered other encounters differently.
Leeann Tweeden was the first to accuse Franken on Nov. 16, with the Los Angeles radio host sharing a photo of Franken appearing to grope her while she was sleeping during a flight on a USO tour in 2006
“I would think a dress owned by Monica Lewinsky would bring down a president. But it didn’t,” Brzezinski said in reference to a dress containing President Bill Clinton’s DNA from a sexual encounter in the Oval Office while Lewinsky was an intern, leading to his impeachment in the House.
“So I’m surprised that a comedian’s picture of a performer, playboy model who goes on Hannity, who voted for Trump. I see some politics there, but I haven’t brought that up every step of the way because of course, in this ‘Me Too’ environment, you must always believe the women.”
Tweeden has appeared as a guest on Sean Hannity’s radio program in the past and sparingly over the years. She has also appeared on the covers of Playboy, Maxim and FHM magazines.
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After coming forth with allegations in November that included saying Franken forcibly kissed her during the same USO Tour, the senator apologized and Tweeden accepted, adding she “wasn’t calling on him to resign.”
Brzezinski also said that she’s had conversations with the accusers of former NBC and MSNBC senior political analyst Mark Halperin, who was a frequent panelist on “Morning Joe” before his resignation last month after sexual harassment allegations were leveled against him from his time working at ABC News.
“I spoke to them, I believe them. I’m just wondering if all the women need to be believed. I’m concerned that we are being the judge the jury and the cops here, and so did Senate Democrats, getting ahead of their skis,” Brzezinski said.
The Hill has reached out to Tweeden for comment.