Actress accuses George H.W. Bush of touching her from behind

A television actress has accused former President George H.W. Bush of touching her from behind while she was posing for a photo alongside him and telling her a dirty joke.

People magazine reports Heather Lind said in a now-deleted Instagram post that the incident took place while she was posing for a photo with Mr Bush during a promotional tour for her AMC series "TURN: Washington's Spies."

Ms Lind appears alongside the 93-year-old Bush, who's seated in a wheelchair, in a photo together at a Houston screening of the series in 2014.

Mr Bush's spokesman Jim McGrath told The Associated Press in a statement: "President Bush would never — under any circumstance — intentionally cause anyone distress, and he most sincerely apologises if his attempt at humor offended Ms. Lind."