Former Vice President Joe Biden on Friday said he regrets making women uncomfortable and suggested it's possible more will come forward.
Biden spoke with reporters after delivering a speech in which he joked twice about having obtained permission to hug someone. This was his first time speaking publicly since eight women came forward to say Biden made them feel uncomfortable with unwanted physical contact. Asked if he expects more women to share similar complaints, Biden said, "Well, I wouldn't be surprised," per Talking Points Memo, while saying that "I've had hundreds and hundreds of people contact me who I don't know and say the exact opposite."
Biden said that anyone who feels uncomfortable by physical contact in general should have the right to say so. But when asked whether he would offer a direct apology to the women who have come forward, Biden said, "I've made it clear that if I made anyone feel uncomfortable, I feel badly about that. That was never my intention."
A reporter followed up to ask Biden if this means he is sorry and will tell the women as much, but he did not offer a direct apology, instead saying, "I'm sorry I didn't understand more" but "I'm not sorry for any of my intentions." He also said that "I'm not sorry for anything that I have ever done" because "I have never been disrespectful intentionally to a man or a woman." Brendan Morrow