Biden spokesman slams 'smears and forgeries' from 'right-wing trolls' after harassment complaint

This is... one way to not apologize.

On Friday, former Nevada assemblywoman and onetime Democratic candidate for the state's lieutenant governor Lucy Flores said former Vice President Joe Biden kissed her without permission in 2014. Biden did not apologize for or dispute the action, but said he "never" believed he "acted inappropriately" in his many years in politics. For some reason, Biden spokesman Bill Russo decided to take it all a step further.

In a Monday statement, Russo described how Flores' essay prompted a second look at photos of Biden appearing to be uncomfortably touching or interacting with women. Two of those women have recently said they didn't have a problem with Biden's actions, Russo pointed out. But despite those old photos showing behavior similar to what Flores says she experienced, Russo went into a full-on debunking rant about "insidious examples" of harassment claims with "no foundation." He cited "photoshopped images and other manipulations of social media" being used against Biden, and issued a blanket condemnation of these "smears and forgeries" that "right-wing trolls ... continue to exploit."

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Critics have called out Biden for issuing a pretty gentle response to Flores' accusations, perhaps sparking Russo's stronger-worded message.