Jordana Grolnick: Second Actress Accuses H.W. Bush Of Groping, Joked His Fave Magician Was ‘David Cop-A-Feel’

A second woman has come forward to accuse former President George H.W. Bush of touching her inappropriately. Jordana Grolnick, a New York actress, claims that H.W. Bush groped her by touching her bottom during a photo shoot in August 2016 while she was working at a theater in Maine on a production of Hunchback of Notre Dame, according to Deadspin.

Grolnick also claimed that while H.W. Bush groped her, he joked that his favorite magician was “David Cop-a-Feel.”

Grolnick posted a photo (see below) to her Instagram page showing her standing next to Bush during the photo shoot. Bush’s arm can be seen around her lower body.

According to Grolnick, as they stood in a circle around Bush and his wife, Barbara, in preparation for the group photo, Bush reached with an arm around her lower body. As the group smiled for the photo, he squeezed her bottom, and joked that his favorite magician was “David Cop-a-Feel.”

“We all circled around him and Barbara for a photo, and I was right next to him,” Grolnick wrote on Instagram. “He reached his right hand around to my behind, and as we smiled for the photo he asked the group, ‘Do you want to know who my favorite magician is?’ As I felt his hand dig into my flesh, he said, ‘David Cop-a-Feel!'”

“George H.W. Bush has a favorite magician. It’s ‘David Cop-A-Feel.’ He told us so. Barbara has no opinion on magicians. #history.”

According to Grolnick, other people in the group noticed Bush grabbing her bottom, but they laughed “politely and out of discomfort.” The former first lady Barbara Bush also noticed her husband’s action.

“He’s going to get himself put into jail!” Barbara grumbled, according to Grolnick.

Grolnick then reflected on the incident, especially the fact that she did not complain at the time. She admitted that although she thought it was not right for him to touch her, she made light of his behavior at the time. But she now realizes that her reaction was not right.

“I realize that making light of the situation was the wrong move. It wasn’t ok for him to do that to me,” she wrote.

“I just thought, ‘Whatever. He’s a dirty old man.'”‘

"He asked the group, ‘Do you want to know who my favorite magician is?’ As I felt his hand dig into my flesh, he said, ‘David Cop-a-Feel!’” pic.twitter.com/NTbUSEAnF0

— Deadspin (@Deadspin) October 26, 2017

“What I’ve come to realize is that if we tolerate these small comments and grazes from men on the street or former presidents, they might assume that it’s OK with us,” she said, “and they may take it as permission to do who-knows-what else.”

President Bush’s spokesperson, Jim McGrath, has responded to Grolnick’s accusation, according to Deadspin.

“At age 93, President Bush has been confined to a wheelchair for roughly five years, so his arm falls on the lower waist of people with whom he takes pictures,” McGrath said in the statement. “To try to put people at ease, the president routinely tells the same joke — and on occasion, he has patted women’s rears in what he intended to be a good-natured manner.”

“Some have seen it as innocent; others clearly view it as inappropriate. To anyone he has offended, President Bush apologizes most sincerely.”

Grolnick is the second actress to accuse the 93-year-old former president of groping her. She comes forward with her claim after actress Heather Lind alleged on Tuesday that Bush “sexually assaulted” her in 2014, during a photo shoot after a private screening of AMC ‘s Turn: Washington’s Spies, in which she starred.

Lind claimed that Bush was sitting in his wheelchair when he assaulted her. She also claimed that Bush’s wife, Barbara, witnessed the incident. Barbara rolled her eyes “as if to say ‘not again,'” when Bush assaulted her a second time, according to Lind.

Lind’s costar costar Kevin McNally, who participated in the photo shoot, confirmed Lind’s story. Actor Burn Gorman and Alexander Rose, the writer of Turn: Washington’s Spies, also said he witnessed the moment that Bush assaulted Lind.

“Her account is 100% accurate. I was there. It was not a ‘joke’ gone awry.”

McGrath released a statement apologizing for the incident. The statement said that Bush’s action was an “attempt at humor” and that the former president had no intention to offend Lind.

“President Bush would never – under any circumstance – intentionally cause anyone distress, and he most sincerely apologizes if his attempt at humor offended Ms. Lind.”

[Featured Image by Patrick Smith/Getty Images]