Biden accused of inappropriate behavior

Former vice president Joe Biden has yet to declare his candidacy for president; However, his lack of an official presidential bid has not kept him from already gaining national attention.

Six women across the nation have recently accused Biden of inappropriate conduct through the press. While none of the women have claimed that these accusations should be classified as sexual assault, they all allege that Biden had touched them inappropriately and without consent.

According to Vox, in response to these allegations, Biden said, “Social norms have begun to change…And the boundaries of protecting personal space have been reset…And I’ll be much more mindful. That’s my responsibility and I’ll meet it.” He also added that his dedication towards gender equality in legislation such as the Violence Against Women Act proves his commitment to making women feel comfortable.

Many politicians are left unsatisfied by this response, pointing to the lack of direct apology for his actions. According to the Washington Post, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said, “To say, ‘I’m sorry that you were offended,’ is not an apology. ‘I’m sorry I invaded your space,’ but not, ‘I’m sorry you were offended.’” She added, “Because that’s…not accepting the fact that people think differently about communication whether it’s a handshake, a hug.”

Additionally, Lucy Flores, one of the women who accused Biden of inappropriate conduct, was unsatisfied with his apology and stated, “he needs to acknowledge that it was inappropriate and that it’s not about his motive…It’s about the recipient ― the person on the receiving end of that behavior,” according to the Huffington Post.

However, many high-profile men and women jumped to Biden’s defense. According to Vaniy Fair, Morning Joe host Mika Brzezinski said, “There’s a lot of things I know about Joe Biden—I’ve known him for a long time—he is extremely affectionate, extremely flirtatious in a completely safe way.” Moreover, Bill Russo, Biden’s spokesman, accused right-wing politicians of spreading these allegations through an email to reporters that said, “These smears and forgeries have existed in the dark recesses of the internet for a while…And to this day, right wing trolls and others continue to exploit them for their own gain.”

These allegations and backlash also raise the question of how these accusations would affect his candidacy if he were to publicly bid for the Democratic presidential nomination. In a recent poll conducted by Politico, half of the Democratic respondents stated that the allegations against Biden would not impact their vote, while 29 percent of voters state that the allegation of inappropriate touching would make it less likely to vote for Biden, and 16 percent state that it would make them significantly less likely to vote for Biden.

Only time will tell how these accusations will impact Joe Biden’s presidential bid and potential for political success.

Article by MoCo Student staff writer Shevani Tewari of Richard Montgomery High School.