One of the women who has accused former Vice President Joe Biden of inappropriate touching is not remotely satisfied with his response.
Lucy Flores, the former Nevada assemblywoman who said in March that Biden made her feel uncomfortable by touching her shoulders and kissing her on the back of the head in 2014, told Fox News that Biden joking about the allegations was "so incredibly disrespectful."
Biden in a speech delivered amid the controversy made light of the allegations, jokingly pointing out twice that he had obtained permission to hug someone. This came after a video in which Biden promised to adjust his behavior and be more mindful of people's personal space.
Flores told Fox News that Biden's jokes "demonstrated that the words that he said — that he was going to take this very seriously, that he was going to listen and he was going to learn — to me, that indicated that he didn't mean that at all if literally the next day he was joking about it."
Biden, who is expected to announce his 2020 presidential campaign this week, has said he regrets making the women who have accused him of inappropriate conduct uncomfortable but has declined to directly apologize, saying in early April, "I'm sorry I didn't understand more" but "I'm not sorry for any of my intentions" and "I'm not sorry for anything that I have ever done." Brendan Morrow