Joe Biden accused of inappropriate touching by 2nd woman

Joe Biden.
(Image credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images)

A second woman has accused former Vice President Joe Biden of inappropriate touching.

Amy Lappos, a former aide for Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), told the Hartford Courant on Monday that Biden grabbed her at a political event in 2009. "It wasn't sexual, but he did grab me by the head," she said. "He put his hand around my neck and pulled me in to rub noses with me. When he was pulling me in, I thought he was going to kiss me on the mouth."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

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.

Sign up

Lappos said that "there's a line of respect" and that crossing it is "not grandfatherly" but is "sexism or misogyny." She also said that if Biden "truly supports women and gender equality he would step aside and support one of the many talented and qualified women running."

Biden, who has not yet officially entered the 2020 race, did not comment on the new allegation, but he said in a statement on Sunday that "not once — never — did I believe I acted inappropriately." After the initial allegation from Flores, some Democrats like Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) had come to Biden's defense by saying that "one allegation is not disqualifying."

Explore More
Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.