FORT WORTH, Texas _ Former President George H.W. Bush apologized Wednesday through a spokesman after being accused Tuesday of sexual assault by actress Heather Lind.
Lind stars in the AMC series "Turn: Washington's Spies," and said in a now-deleted Instagram post that the ex-president touched her when she met him during a 2014 photo session related to the show.
In the post, Lind claimed that Bush "touched me from behind" from his wheelchair and "told me a dirty joke." She also claimed that Barbara Bush "rolled her eyes as if to say, 'not again'" during the incident.
"President Bush would never _ under any circumstance _ intentionally cause anyone distress, and he most sincerely apologizes if his attempt at humor offended Ms. Lind," Bush spokesman Jim McGrath told McClatchy in an emailed statement.
UK publication "The Daily Mail" published a screen shot of the Instagram post before it was taken down, and several other publications have published Lind's deleted Instagram caption.
In her post, which accompanied a photo of former President Barack Obama shaking hands with Bush, Lind also said that a Bush security guard warned her not to stand next to Bush for the photo.
She concluded her Instagram post with the hashtag #metoo, which has been used to highlight experiences with sexual harassment and assault since the widespread publication of allegations against Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein.
