MN Republicans: Al Franken Should Cancel Kathy Griffin Event

U.S. Sen. Al Franken is facing calls from Minnesota Republicans to cancel an upcoming event with comedian Kathy Griffin. Griffin faced sharp criticism Tuesday after footage of a photo shoot showed her holding the bloodied, severed head of President Trump. Critics said the gruesome, violent imagery was inappropriate, regardless of one's feelings or opinions about the president.

Franken is holding an event with Kathy Griffin in Beverly Hills, California on Friday, July 7. The ticketed event is a discussion about Franken's new Book.

"While we value political discourse and the freedom to express your opinion, this act of perceived violence against the elected leader of the United States of America is disgraceful and disgusting," said Republican Party of Minnesota Chair Jennifer Carnahan.

"The Republican Party of Minnesota calls on Senator Franken to cancel the event with Kathy Griffin due to this crass and disrespectful act of threatened violence," added Carnahan. "Surely Senator Franken values the physical well-being of our democratically-elected President over promoting his book."

Franken's office provided the following statement to KARE 11 regarding the stunt:

Sen. Franken thinks Kathy Griffin is a talented comedian and respects her right to free speech, but believes this image was inappropriate and not the kind of thing that should be part of our national discourse.

Kathy Griffin Apologizes After Sharp Criticism Over Bloodied Trump Head Photos

Image via Gordon Correll, Flickr, used under Creative Commons