George H.W. Bush issues apology after Upland-born actress accuses him of sexual assault

"President Bush would never - under any circumstances - intentionally cause anyone distress, and he most sincerely apologizes if his attempt at humor offended Ms. Lind"

Actress Heather Lind attends the opening night of "The Father" during the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival at the Samuel J. Friedman Theater on April 14, 2016, in New York.Read moreDerek Soto/ImageSPACE/Sipa USA/TNS

by Nick Vadala

Published Oct. 25, 2017, 11:35 a.m. ET

Former President George H.W. Bush has issued a statement apologizing to the actress Heather Lind, who this week accused him of sexual assault at a showing of an television show in which she stars.

Lind, who was born in Upland and raised in New York, according to IMDB, said in a since-deleted Instagram post on Monday that the alleged incident occurred in 2014 as she posed with Bush, now 93, following a screening of the AMC series Turn: Washington's Spies, the Daily Mail reported.

In her post, the actress, who also appeared in Boardwalk Empire, wrote that she was "disturbed" at seeing a photo of Bush with fellow former President Barack Obama at a Hurricane Harvey benefit event held over the weekend, prompting her to tell her story.

"When I got the chance to meet George H.W. Bush four years ago to promote a historical television show I was working on, he sexually assaulted me while I was posing for a similar photo," Lind wrote. "He didn't shake my hand. He touched me from behind from his wheelchair with his wife Barbara Bush by his side."

In her post, Lind added that Bush touched her a second time while posing for a photo, writing that "Barbara rolled her eyes as if to say 'not again.'"

"His security guard told me I shouldn't have stood next to him for the photo," Lind wrote.

Lind concluded her post with the "#metoo" hashtag, which in recent weeks has been used to encourage women to share their own stories of sexual assault.

"I thank President Barack Obama for the gesture of respect he made toward George H.W. Bush for the sake of our country, but I do not respect him. #metoo," Lind wrote.

A representative for Bush issued a statement to the Daily Mail regarding the alleged incident, indicating that his actions were an "attempt at humor."

"President Bush would never — under any circumstances — intentionally cause anyone distress, and he most sincerely apologizes if his attempt at humor offended Ms. Lind," the statement read.

Lind offered no further comment.