President Biden, a longtime veteran of "physical contact" with people he meets, has given New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo a pass on charges from a multitude of women that he had unwanted "physical contact" with them.
Fox News reported Monday that Biden was refusing to join a long, long list of other Democrats calling for Cuomo to quit.
The scandal facing Cuomo has developed in just the last few weeks, and has added to his headaches, which earlier focused on his decisions to require nursing homes in his state to accept COVID-19 positive patients into populations that had been uninfected until then. Thousands died.
He also faces claims he hid the number of deaths resulting from his management.
But now at least seven women have claimed he imposed on their personal space, touching them in ways they found unwelcome.
Cuomo has denied the claims.
The president should be familiar with the situation.
Fox listed a handful of incidents in which Biden was the accused. According to the report:
- "Writer D.J. Hill told the New York Times that in 2012 while she and her husband posed for pictures with Biden he placed his hand on her shoulder and moved it down her back, making her 'very uncomfortable.'
- "Former college student Caitlyn Caruso told the Times that she met Biden when she was 19 at an event about sexual assault that took place at University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Caruso claimed Biden placed his hand on her thigh and hugged her 'just a little bit too long.'
- "Vail Kohnert-Yount told the Washington Post that when she was a White House intern in 2013 she had an awkward encounter with the then-vice president when Biden came over to introduce himself." She described Biden putting his hand on the back of her head and pressing his forehead to hers. "I remember he told me I was a 'pretty girl.'"
- "Amy Lappos, who was an aide for Rep. 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 hers.
- "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 event. She was running for Nevada lieutenant governor at the time."
Social norms are changing. I understand that, and I’ve heard what these women are saying. Politics to me has always been about making connections, but I will be more mindful about respecting personal space in the future. That’s my responsibility and I will meet it. pic.twitter.com/Ya2mf5ODts
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) April 3, 2019
Biden responded, "In my career, I've always tried to make a human connection. That's my responsibility, I think. I shake hands, I hug people, I grab men and women by the shoulders and say 'you can do this.' And whether they're women, men, young, old, it's the way I've always been. It's the way I've tried to show I care about them and I'm listening."
Cuomo, when one of the women complained about his behavior, delivered a similar response.
"You can find hundreds of pictures of me making the same gesture with hundreds of people, women, men, children, etc.," Cuomo said at the time. "You can go find hundreds of pictures of me kissing people. Men, women, it is my usual and customary way of greeting."
So far, more than 160 federal and state lawmakers from both parties call for Cuomo's resignation.
Fox reported, "Biden has also been accused of more 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 has denied that this ever happened."
Meanwhile, the AP reported, on the scandal, "Republicans have seized on the scandal to try to distract from Biden's success tackling the coronavirus pandemic and challenge his party's well-established advantage with female voters."
Actually, it was President Trump who worked with industry and regulators to have two vaccines already being delivered to Americans before his term ended. It is true that the Biden administration ordered more of the vaccines, and had them shipped to states for use.
National Review editor Charles C.W. Cooke had commented on the trick of reporting a few months ago.
"At this stage, any journalist who frames a mistake or controversial statement made by a Democratic politician with ‘conservatives pounce’ has to be either woefully out of touch with reality or consciously trolling," Cooke wrote.
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