Lucy Flores, the former Nevada Assemblywoman who accused Joe Biden of touching and kissing the back of her head without her consent in 2014, said she would still vote for the former vice president over President Donald Trump if the opportunity presented itself.
“That’s not even a question. Of course I would support Biden,” Flores, a Democrat, said during a CBSN interview when asked if she would support Biden, 76, if he won the Democratic nomination.
She said that she personally believes Biden’s alleged actions should disqualify him from the presidential race, in addition to his past “anti-abortion” stances. During his 40-year tenure in the Senate, Biden has supported a range of anti-abortion legislation including the Hyde Amendment and a ban on federal funding for abortion.
Flores, who publicly came forward with her account last week in an essay for New York Magazine’s The Cut, added that she was not happy with Biden’s response to her account.
“I think that in terms of when he talks about his motivation etcetera we really need to also acknowledge that it’s not, it’s not about the intent, it is about the person on the receiving end of that behavior, that unwanted behavior, and the way in which it makes that person feel, especially, especially in a situation where you have that kind of a power imbalance going on,” she told CBSN.
Biden issued a statement over the weekend, writing that he never intentionally meant to act inappropriately with Flores or any other woman while in office.
“In my many years on the campaign trail and in public life, I have offered countless handshakes, hugs, expressions of affection, support and comfort. And not once — never — did I believe I acted inappropriately,” he said. “If it is suggested I did so, I will listen respectfully. But it was never my intention.”
A second woman, a former congressional aide named Amy Lappos, came forward on Monday alleging that Biden grabbed her by the head and rubbed noses with her during a 2009 political fundraiser.
The former vice president has been criticized in the past for the way he interacts with women including incidents such as kissing a senator’s wife on the lips, whispering into a girl’s ear and kissing her cheek, and whispering into the ear of the wife of former Defense Secretary Ash Carter as he was sworn into that post during President Barack Obama’s administration.