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- Amy Lappos, a former congressional aide who accused former Vice President Joe Biden of inappropriate physical contact, said in an interview with Hearst Connecticut Media that he was still the “obvious choice” for president in 2020.
- “Did I want to end up with Joe Biden, two white males in the election? Not really,” she told the outlet, adding: “However, Joe Biden is the obvious choice to beat Trump right now and therefore, I support him.”
- Lappos, along with seven other women, have said Biden either touched them inappropriately or violated their personal space. None of the conduct being alleged was considered sexual in nature until March, when the former Senate staffer Tara Reade accused Biden of sexual assault. He has denied Reade’s claim.
- Lappos said she received pushback for coming forward but hoped her story reiterated a message about “bodily autonomy and survivorship.”
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Amy Lappos, a former congressional aide who accused former Vice President Joe Biden of inappropriate physical contact, said in an interview with Hearst Connecticut Media that he was still the “obvious choice” for president in 2020.
Lappos, 44, accused Biden of touching her inappropriately at a political fundraiser in 2009.
“It wasn’t sexual, but he did grab me by the head,” Lappos told the Hartford Courant last year of the interaction. “He put his hand around my neck and pulled me in to rub noses with me. When he was pulling me in, I thought he was going to kiss me on the mouth.” She did not file a complaint at the time.
Lappos stressed that his actions crossed a line and should not be considered “grandfatherly,” as some of his supporters have said in his defense.
“There’s absolutely a line of decency,” Lappos told the Courant. “There’s a line of respect. Crossing that line is not grandfatherly. It’s not cultural. It’s not affection. It’s sexism or misogyny.”
Shana Sureck/Hartford Courant/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
Speaking with Hearst Connecticut Media in an interview published Saturday, Lappos said that while the presumptive 2020 Democratic presidential nominee was not as “progressive” as she would have hoped, she would still support Biden in November against President Donald Trump.
“Did I want to end up with Joe Biden, two white males in the election? Not really. I don’t see it being so progressive,” Lappos told the outlet.
“However, Joe Biden is the obvious choice to beat Trump right now and therefore, I support him,” she added.
Lappos, along with seven other women, have alleged that Biden either touched them inappropriately or violated their personal space. None of the conduct being alleged was considered sexual in nature until March, when the former Senate staffer Tara Reade for the first time publicly accused Biden of sexually assaulting her in 1993. Biden has denied that claim.
Lappos told Hearst Connecticut Media that she “believes and supports” Reade and had received criticism for coming forward with allegations against Biden.
“I wasn’t expecting the amount of pushback that I got — pushback, from primarily older male Democrats,” Lappos told the outlet.
She said she hoped her story reiterates a message about “bodily autonomy and survivorship.”
“I wanted to make sure that that story is preserved,” Lappos said. “And I don’t want to be weaponized. I support Joe Biden right now.”
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