Former Vice President Joe Biden responded Sunday to an allegation from former Nevada Assemblywoman Lucy Flores that he had put his hands on her shoulders and smelled then kissed her hair before a 2014 rally. In his "many years on the campaign trail and in public life," Biden said, "I have offered countless handshakes, hugs, expressions, of affection, support and comfort. And not once — never — did I believe I acted inappropriately. If it is suggested I did so, I will listen respectfully." Biden is still expected to jump in the 2020 presidential race.
America has "arrived at an important time when women feel they can and should relate their experiences, and men should pay attention," Biden added. "And I will." The statement was released before Flores went on CNN to talk about her allegations, laid out Friday in an essay in The Cut. She told CNN's Jake Tapper that she wants Biden "to change his behavior" and "acknowledge that it was wrong," and said, "For me, it's disqualifying. I think it's up to everybody else to make that decision."
Flores, 39, told Politico on Sunday that she came forward because "when I started to see pictures of him behaving in the same way he did with me and with other women, it was very triggering," and "I felt so much empathy for them. I knew what they were going through."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
On Sunday night, Stephanie Carter, one of the women frequently cited as suffering one of Biden's "expressions of affection," said that's exactly what it was. "Strangers, Twitter, the pundits, and the late-night hosts" should stop using "that picture" — taken during husband Ash Carter's swearing-in ceremony as defense secretary and recirculating again after Flores' accusation — to tar Biden, she wrote on Medium. "Joe Biden in my picture is a close friend helping someone get through a big day, for which I will always be grateful."
-
One great cookbook: ‘The Woks of Life’The Week Recommends A family’s opinionated, reliable take on all kinds of Chinese cooking
-
Digital addiction: the compulsion to stay onlineIn depth What it is and how to stop it
-
Can Trump bully Netanyahu into Gaza peace?Today's Big Question The Israeli leader was ‘strong-armed’ into new peace deal
-
Court allows Trump’s Texas troops to head to ChicagoSpeed Read Trump is ‘using our service members as pawns in his illegal effort to militarize our nation’s cities,’ said Gov. J.B. Pritzker
-
Judge bars Trump’s National Guard moves in OregonSpeed Read In an emergency hearing, a federal judge blocked President Donald Trump from sending National Guard troops into Portland
-
Museum head ousted after Trump sword gift denialSpeed Read Todd Arrington, who led the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, denied the Trump administration a sword from the collection as a gift for King Charles
-
Trump declares ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartelsspeed read This provides a legal justification for recent lethal military strikes on three alleged drug trafficking boats
-
Supreme Court rules for Fed’s Cook in Trump feudSpeed Read Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook can remain in her role following Trump’s attempts to oust her
-
Judge rules Trump illegally targeted Gaza protestersSpeed Read The Trump administration’s push to arrest and deport international students for supporting Palestine is deemed illegal
-
Trump: US cities should be military ‘training grounds’Speed Read In a hastily assembled summit, Trump said he wants the military to fight the ‘enemy within’ the US
-
US government shuts down amid health care standoffSpeed Read Democrats said they won’t vote for a deal that doesn’t renew Affordable Care Act health care subsidies
