Former Franken Campaign Aid Accuses Candidate of Kissing Her Without Consent

(Radio Iowa) A former campaign aide to U.S. Senate candidate Mike Franken asked Des Moines Police to investigate after she says Franken kissed her without her consent. Franken says it never happened.

Kimberley Strope-Boggus was political director, then the manager of Franken’s campaign two years ago. She was working as an aide on his current campaign before being fired in late February. Strope-Boggus told police she and Franken met for a drink at a Des Moines bar in mid-March and, according to Strope-Boggus, Franken offered her a new campaign job. Strope-Boggus told police that as the two walked to their cars, Franken kissed her on the mouth. Strope-Boggus filed the police report a month after the alleged incident and told the female officer that Franken had an old-fashioned view about how to interact with women. Des Moines Police and an assistant Polk County Attorney determined the allegation of an assault was unfounded. The Gazette reports that during a campaign event in Cedar Rapids, Franken said the incident Boggus described to police never happened.

Radio Iowa has been unable to speak with Strope-Boggus. A news release the Franken campaign issued Sunday indicated Democratic congressional candidates Liz Mathis of Hiawatha and Christina Bohannan of Iowa City would be joining Franken today (Monday) at the event in Cedar Rapids, but neither was present.