A second woman has accused former vice-president Joe Biden of touching her inappropriately.
Amy Lappos, 43, claimed that Mr Biden touched her face with both hands and rubbed noses with her at a fund-raiser in Greenwich, Connecticut, a decade ago. “It wasn’t sexual, but he did grab me by the head,” claimed Ms Lappos, who was then a congressional aide.
“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,” she added.
Her claim came three days after former Nevada Democratic politician Lucy Flores told how the then vice-president made her feel “uneasy, gross and confused” at a 2014 campaign rally when he planted “a big slow kiss” on the back of her head.
Mr Biden, a former Delaware senator who served as Barack Obama’s vice-president from 2009 to 2017, insisted he has never behaved inappropriately.
“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 in a statement. “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.”
He said he will remain a staunch advocate for women. “I may not recall these moments the same way, and I may be surprised at what I hear. But 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,” he added.
Mr Biden’s spokesman Bill Russo took a more aggressive line, blaming “Right -wing trolls” from the “dark recesses of the internet” for conflating images of the 76-year-old embracing acquaintances, colleagues and friends.
The claims threaten to derail Mr Biden’s plans to join the race for the Democrat presidential nomination to take on Donald Trump next year.
Ms Lappos said she decided to speak out because she was unhappy with Mr Biden’s response to the initial accusation and wants a woman to run against Mr Trump. “Uninvited affection is not okay,” she said. “Objectifying women is not okay”. “Referring to this type of behaviour as ‘simply affection’ or ‘grandpa-like’ or ‘friendly’ is ridiculously dismissive and part of the problem,” she told the Hartford Courant.
Mr Biden is still said to be planning a presidential run and an aide was reported as saying he was not reconsidering his decision. Two Democrats, who have already announced their candidacy, have called on Mr Biden to answer the allegations more fully.
Elizabeth Warren said Mr Biden “needs to give an answer”, while Bernie Sanders said: “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.”
Meghan McCain, the daughter of the late John McCain, a former Republican presidential candidate, jumped to Mr Biden’s defence, calling him “one of the truly decent and compassionate men in all of American politics”.
