Dem State Rep Resigns After Claiming Alleged Biden Sex Act Would Have Required 'Cooperation' from Reade
A Democratic state representative in New Hampshire has resigned his legislative post after facing harsh criticism over a tweet deriding Tara Reade, who has accused presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden of sexual assault.
State Rep. Richard Komi of Manchester on Friday tweeted his rejection of Reade’s claims against Biden. The former Senate staffer has alleged that in 1993, when Biden was a senator, he kissed, groped and digitally penetrated her during an unwanted sexual advance. Biden has said the incident never happened.
“Judged by the position of the female vagina, it will not be easy for anyone to just put their finger into the vagina unless their is some cooperation from the female herself. That is why I believe Tara Reade’s allegations is false. She is looking for attention,” Komi said in a tweet he has since deleted.
The tweet was savaged online.
New Hampshire Dem Rep Richard Komi says a man can only penetrate a woman’s vagina with “cooperation from the woman.”
Wow. The Dems are REALLY bad at this. pic.twitter.com/TVEyAljBYI
— Sara Gonzales (@SaraGonzalesTX) May 2, 2020
So now it’s the Vagina’s fault not the man?
Richard Komi is a 3rd rate pile of human dung for basically calling ALL WOMEN willing parties in their rape & sexual abuse – not just #TaraReade
Reprehensible to deny abuse based on position of VAGINAS!
Victim blaming at its worst? pic.twitter.com/YuiK8Zx4Na
— Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu (@SholaMos1) May 2, 2020
I didn’t think a person could be that stupid but boy was I wrong!
— Jerry Cox (@Jercommm) May 2, 2020
The tweet led to New Hampshire House Speaker Steve Shurtleff demanding Komi’s resignation, according to Fox News.
“I am appalled by Representative Komi’s comments. They were dismissive and hurtful to survivors of sexual assault across the Granite State and across the country,” Shurtleff said in a statement. “The comments are not fitting for the New Hampshire House of Representatives and immediately upon learning of them I called him and asked Representative Komi to resign his seat.”
Komi then resigned and apologized.
“I also want to offer my sincere apologies to anybody whose feelings may have been hurt by the tweets. I am and will continue to be a supporter of victims of sexual and domestic assault,” the representative said in his letter of resignation.
“The tweets were very poorly worded and do not reflect who I am and what I stand for. I ask for the forgiveness of all who have been a victim of sexual or any other kind of assault,” he wrote.
While many on social media welcomed his resignation, some declined to accept his apology.
Former NH Rep Richard Komi’s tweet is the definition of rape culture. He was right to resign, but we do not accept his apology. Blaming a woman for her rape is an old trope. Many still believe this. His words were harmful and put women in danger.#IBelieveTaraReade pic.twitter.com/7yrGKq6j3R
— Prof Zenkus (@anthonyzenkus) May 2, 2020
Good riddance to New Hampshire Rep. Richard Komi who apparently feels that women who have been raped are complicit due to vaginal geography. His assinine comment says more about the gross political misogyny network at work than it does about the accusations against @JoeBiden. 1/ pic.twitter.com/joF8VNDF5d
— Tracey O’Neill MNMJ (@TraceyC_online) May 3, 2020
White House counselor Kellyanne Conway last week suggested that liberals who say they support women should now act out those words.
“You’re not pro-woman because you’re pro-abortion. You’re pro-woman if you say, ‘I believe all women and I’ll be here for them,'” she said, according to Fox News.
“I’m going to continue to repeat what I heard from many people right left and center but particularly left of the political spectrum over the last few years, and they’re three magic words. Believe all women,” Conway said.
“We’ve got a lot to dig into, but most of all, ‘believe all women’ and saying to women, ‘We don’t want to silence or stigmatize you, you should come forward if you’ve got something to say,’ that has to be consistent here,” she said. “We can’t just lose sight of that because the person who’s being accused of these allegations … is a quote powerful man who women are telling us he’s for women because he’s for abortion.
“If you’re for women, prove it, and let’s hear from her.”
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