Three More Women Step Forward with Allegations Against Joe Biden
Three more women have come forward with allegations that former Vice President Joe Biden’s conduct toward them made them feel uncomfortable, even if there was no sexual element or intent in the way in which he touched them.
Their stories, related by The Washington Post in a piece published early Thursday, came after Biden released a video Wednesday saying he promised to be “more respectful of people’s personal space.”
Biden’s video did not contain an apology for any past actions.
For the past week, Biden’s expected campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination has been buffeted by allegations from several women that his style had made them feel demeaned, regardless of his intent. The Post’s report brings the number of women who’ve come forward to seven.
That’s a major issue in a party that makes support for the #MeToo movement a key piece of its agenda. Even as critics have said Biden’s actions show he is out of step with the times, Biden’s supporters have fired back that over the years he has contributed to efforts to fight sexual harassment.
In its account, the Post reported that Vail Kohnert-Yount, a White House intern at the time, was upset with the results of an encounter she had with Biden in 2013. It started with a handshake, she said.
“He then put his hand on the back of my head and pressed his forehead to my forehead while he talked to me. 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 in a statement.
“I do not consider my experience to have been sexual assault or harassment. But it was the kind of inappropriate behavior that makes many women feel uncomfortable and unequal in the workplace,” she said.
Sofie Karasek, a sexual assault victim, had a similar encounter in 2016, according to the Post. She had been with a group of sexual assault survivors cited by Lady Gaga at the Oscars that year and Biden had introduced Lady Gaga’s performance.
After the ceremony, she told the Post, she shared with Biden a story about a sexual assault victim’s suicide. Biden then touched his forehead to hers, which she said made her uncomfortable.
The third woman, Ally Coll, told the Post that she met Biden in 2008 when she was helping to run a reception Biden attended. She said Biden squeezed her shoulders and complimented her on her smile, holding her “for a beat too long.”
Coll now runs the Purple Campaign, a group that fights sexual harassment. At the time she thought little of the interaction. She has since changed her mind.
“There’s been a lack of understanding about the way that power can turn something that might seem innocuous into something that can make somebody feel uncomfortable,” she told the Post.
Coll said Biden’s comments in his Wednesday video showed “a continued lack of understanding about why these stories are being told and their relevance in the #MeToo era.”
Karasek also told the Post that Biden’s video fell short because he “still didn’t take ownership in the way that he needs to.”
“He emphasized that he wants to connect with people and, of course, that’s important. But again, all of our interactions and friendships are a two-way street. … Too often, it doesn’t matter how the woman feels about it or (men) just assume that they’re fine with it,” she said.
Kohnert-Yount told the Post that Biden’s video comments missed the point.
“I appreciate his attempt to do better in the future, but to me, this is not mainly about whether Joe Biden has adequate respect for personal space. It’s about women deserving equal respect in the workplace.”
During the video, Biden said he will address calls for him to change his style of interaction with others.
“Social norms have begun to change, they’ve shifted. And the boundaries of protecting personal space have been reset. And I get it. I hear what they’re saying,” he said.
“I’ll be much more mindful, that’s my responsibility and I’ll meet it. But I’ll always believe that governing is about connecting with people. That won’t change, but I’ll be more mindful and respectful of people’s personal space, and that’s a good thing,” he added.
For those who doubted that at 76 Biden can change, he insisted he can.
“The idea that I can’t adjust to the fact that personal space is important — more important than it’s ever been — it’s just not thinkable. I will. I will,” Biden said.
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