Joe Biden fights woman’s claim of inappropriate behaviour

A Democrat politician accuses Joe Biden of inappropriate conduct by kissing her head.

Lucy Flores and Joe Biden at the 2014 rally at which she claims he behaved in an inappropriate manner. Picture: AFP.

Joe Biden has defended himself against claims of inappropriate conduct towards a female Democrat politician as he tries to kill the controversy ahead of his expected run for president.

The former vice-president issued a statement today saying he did not believe he acted inappropriately with Democrat Lucy Flores at a campaign event in 2014 but says he will “listen respectfully” to her allegations.

Ms Flores claims Mr Biden made her feel “uneasy” and “gross” when, at a rally to support her nomination as lieutenant governor of Nevada, the then vice president placed his hands on her shoulders and kissed the back of her head.

“As I was taking deep breaths and preparing myself to make my case to the crowd, I felt two hands on my shoulders. I froze. “Why is the vice-president of the United States touching me?” Ms Flores wrote in the New York Magazine.

“I felt him get closer to me from behind. He leaned further in and inhaled my hair. I was mortified. I thought to myself; “I didn’t wash my hair today and the vice-president of the United States is smelling it. He proceeded to plant a big slow kiss on the back of my head. My brain couldn’t process what was happening. I was embarrassed. I was shocked. I was confused.”

Ms Flores, who was then 35 years old, claimed she had never experienced anything “so blatantly inappropriate and unnerving before.”

“The vice-president of the United States of America had just touched me in an intimate way reserved for close friends, family, or romantic partners — and I felt powerless to do anything about it.”

Lucy Flores and Joe Biden at the rally. She claims he kissed the back of her head before they went on stage. Picture: Getty Images.

Today Mr Biden issued a statement defending himself but also wording his feelings in a manner which would not further inflame the issue or spark a #MeToo backlash.

“In my many years on the campaign trail and in public life, I have offered countless handshakes, hugs, expressions of affection, support and comfort,’ he said. “And not once — never — did I believe I acted inappropriately. If it is suggested I did so, I will listen respectfully. But it was never my intention.

“I may not recall these moments in the same way and I may be surprised at what I hear.”

The 76 year old, who is expected to join the 2020 presidential race next month, said he would remain an advocate for the rights of woman and to ensure they are treated with “the equality they deserve.”

“We have arrived at an important time when women feel they can and should relate their experiences and men should pay attention. And I will.”

Responding to Mr Biden’s statement, Mr Flores today said she was “glad that he’s willing to listen.”

“(But) frankly, my point was never about his intentions, and they shouldn’t be about his intentions. It should be about the women on the receiving end of that behaviour,” she said.

Bernie Sanders, the Senator who polls suggest is the biggest Democrat rival to Mr Biden for the party’s presidential nomination said he had no reason not to believe Ms Flores’ account.

“I think what this speaks to is the need to fundamentally change the culture of this country and to create environments where women feel comfortable and feel safe and that’s something we have got to do,” Senator Sanders said.

“I’m not sure that one incident alone disqualifies anybody, but her point is absolutely right,” he said of Ms Flores. “This is an issue not just that Democrats or Republicans, the entire country has got to take seriously.”

Mr Biden’s rivals for the Democrat presidential nomination may seek too to portray Mr Biden, at 76, as being out of touch with the issue of sexual harassment in the #MeToo era. Mr Biden last year apologised for not doing more to stop members of the Senate Judiciary Committee attacking Anita Hill during the explosive confirmation hearings in 1991 when she alleged sexual harassment by Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas. Mr Biden was chairman of that all white, all male Committee.

Polls show that even though Mr Biden has not declared himself a candidate for president in 2020, he is the frontrunner, ahead of Senator Sanders and California Senator Kamala Harris.

Cameron Stewart is also US Contributor for Sky News Australia