Who Is Lesley Stahl? Trump Tweets About Al Franken Joke From 1995

President Donald Trump took to Twitter on Thursday night to attack Democratic junior United States senator from Minessota Al Franken, while referring to an infamous “rape” joke the latter made in 1995 about American television journalist Lesley Stahl.

Franken, who has been accused of pretending to grope and force kissing sports radio broadcaster Leeann Tweeden, reportedly made a statement in a 1995 New York Magazine article where he spoke about the possibility of a skit for “Saturday Night Live,” which would include drugging and raping Stahl.

Trump in his tweets first addressed the sexual assault allegation made by Tweeden against Franken.

In a subsequent tweet, the president went on to attack Franken, at the end mentioning the “Lesley Stahl tape,” probably alluding to the senator’s history with instances of sexual misconduct.

Stahl is an eminent American television journalist who has been mainly associated with CBS News. She has worked with CBS News since 1972. From 1991 she has reported for CBS 60 Minutes. According to a profile of Stahl's from June on CBS News website, "She has been a 60 Minutes correspondent since March 1991 and begins her 26th season on the broadcast in September."

A history graduate from Wheaton College, Stahl started her journalism career from the now defunct Boston-based WHDH-TV, Channel 5.

She was the moderator and host of many important shows like "Face the Nation" and "48 Hour Investigates."

She also made cameo appearance as herself in an episode of the TV series "Frasier" in 1998.

She has authored two books: "Reporting Live" (1999) and the "Becoming Grandma: The Joys and Science of the New Grandparenting" (2016).

The questionable sketch about "drugging and raping Stahl" was never made, but the report where Franken talks about it has now resurfaced.

“I give the pills to Lesley Stahl. Then when Lesley is passed out, I take her to the closet and rape her,” Franken was quoted as saying. He then added, “ When she passes out. I put her in various positions and take pictures of her, " Fox News reported.

This is not the first time Franken has been caught making sexually inappropriate statements. According to a report in Star Tribune, a Minnesota news organization, Franken wrote an article named “Porn-O-Rama” for Playboy magazine in 2000, in which he stated that he fantasizes about a robot giving him oral sex.

This, along with the questionable pitching of the Stahl sketch to SNL, was apparently used against him during his senate campaign for Minnesota in 2008. At that time Franken had apologized for his statements.

According to a report in the New York Times in May, Franken, however, said that he apologized only to win the favor of his supporters during the campaign, as his opponents were making an issue out of his statements.

“I wasn’t sorry that I had written Porn-o-Rama or pitched that stupid Lesley Stahl joke at 2 in the morning. I was just doing my job.”

Recently Franken was accused by Tweeden for behaving in an inappropriate manner during a tour of the Middle East to entertain U.S. troops in 2006. Following the allegation, he issued a formal apology Thursday, CNN reported.

He said, “The first thing I want to do is apologize: to Leeann, to everyone else who was part of that tour, to everyone who has worked for me, to everyone I represent, and to everyone who counts on me to be an ally and supporter and champion of women. There's more I want to say, but the first and most important thing—and if it's the only thing you care to hear, that's fine—is: I'm sorry”

Tweeden accepted the apology, the Hill reported. In a statement she said, “The apology, sure I accept it, yes. People make mistakes and of course he knew he made a mistake.”

"So yes I do accept that apology. There's no reason why I shouldn't accept his apology,” she added.