President Biden has refused to join the chorus of fellow Democrats calling on Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York to resign because Cuomo faces multiple scandals, including allegations of improper touch.
Cuomo denied any wrongdoing, claiming that any unwanted contact or kiss was not abusive, but merely his ‘usual’ greeting. Biden also defended himself against accusations that he had touched women improperly.
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“Social norms are changing. I understand that and I have heard what these women are saying,” Biden said in a post posted on Twitter in April 2019. be mindful of respecting personal space in the future. It is my responsibility and I will fulfill it. ‘
Biden’s statement follows accusations from several women who said he made them uncomfortable. Writer DJ Hill told the New York Times that while she and her husband posed for photos with Biden in 2012, he placed his hand on her shoulder and slid it down, making her ‘very uncomfortable’.
Alumni Caitlyn Caruso told the Times that she met Biden when she was 19 at a sexual assault event that took place at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Caruso claims Biden puts his hand on her thigh and embraces her ‘just a little too long’ – after Caruso talked about her own experience with sexual assault.
Vail Kohnert-Yount told the Washington Post that when she was in the White House in 2013, she had an awkward encounter with the then vice president when Biden introduced himself.
“He then put his hand on the back of my head and pressed his forehead on my forehead while talking to me,” Kohnert-Yount said. “I was so shocked that it was hard to focus on what he was saying. I remember he told me I was a ‘pretty girl’.”
Kohnert-Yount said she did not view the behavior as sexual harassment, but “it was the kind of inappropriate behavior that made many women feel uncomfortable and unequal in the workplace.”
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Amy Lappos, who was an assistant to Jim Himes, D-Conn., Told the Hartford Courant that in 2009 Biden put his hand around her neck, pulled her in and rubbed his nose against her hair.
“When he pulled me in, I thought he was going to kiss me on my mouth,” Lappos said.
Vice President Joe Biden appears with the Government of New York, Andrew Cuomo, to unveil plans for new infrastructure projects in New York City on July 27, 2015. (Spencer Platt / Getty Images)
((Photo by Spencer Platt / Getty Images))
Former Nevada politician Lucy Flores wrote in The Cut that in 2014 Biden put his hands on her shoulders, smelled her hair and kissed the back of her head when the two were at a campaign. She was running for lieutenant governor of Nevada at the time.
“Throughout my career, I have always tried to make a human commitment,” Biden said in a statement. “It’s my responsibility, I think. I shake hands, I hug people, I grab men and women by the shoulders and say ‘you can do it’. And whether it’s women, men, young, old, it was like “I’ve always been. It’s like I tried to show that I care about them and I listen.”
Cuomo also defended himself against Anna Ruch’s claim that he put his hands on her face and asked to kiss her when they met at a wedding in 2019. Ruch also said Cuomo put his hand on her bare lower back. A photo from the even shows Cuomo with his hands on Ruch’s cheeks.
“You can see hundreds of photos of me making the same gestures with hundreds of people, women, men, children, etc.,” Cuomo told reporters. “You can go look for hundreds of pictures of me kissing people. Men, women, this is my usual and usual way of saying goodbye.”
Ruch’s allegations came after Lindsey Boylan and Charlotte Bennett, former associates of Cuomo, alleged that Cuomo had acted inappropriately. Boylan said the governor kissed her on the lips without permission and once suggested they play strip poker while on board a flight. Bennett told the New York Times Cuomo asked her about her sex life and gave the impression that he ‘wanted to sleep with me’.
Cuomo denied Boylan’s allegations, but apologized after Bennett and Ruch came forward.
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“I now understand that I acted in a way that made people feel uncomfortable. It was unintentional and I apologize for that,” Cuomo said. “I feel terrible about it and honestly, I’m ashamed of it.”
Since then, several other women have raised their accusations against Cuomo, the most serious of which comes from an unknown current member of his government who allegedly claimed he invited her to the governor’s house to help with a cell phone problem. touched her. Cuomo’s office denied the allegations.
Biden has also been accused of serious misconduct, as Tara Reade claims he sexually assaulted her in 1993 when he was a senator and she was a member of his staff. Biden denied that this ever happened.
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Cuomo is now under pressure to step down as state legislators, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, and sens. Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., and Kirsten Gillibrand, DN.Y., appealed to him to resign.
Biden does not want to join them, but told reporters Sunday that people should wait for the findings from the New York Attorney – General’s investigation.
“I think the investigation is underway and we need to see what it brings to us,” the president said.