In an op-ed published Wednesday, Lucy Flores, the woman who first publicly accused former Vice President Joe Biden of unwanted physical contact, said her words have been twisted by the media and she is not pleased.
Flores said in a Wednesday op-ed in BuzzFeed News that she watched as the narrative around her claims about Biden “morphed into a simplistic — and misguided — discussion of hugging in America.”
“When I decided to come forward with what it felt like to be on the receiving end of Joe Biden’s inappropriate behavior, I knew I would face criticism,” Flores wrote. “I didn’t anticipate that my truth would be so easily manipulated and distorted.”
Flores, a Nevada politician, began the conversation around Biden’s physical contact after writing a piece for the Cut where she accused him of grabbing her from behind and kissing her head at a campaign rally back in 2014.
Flores said she was upset to see news reports on both extremes of the discussion, noting that she never framed the former vice president’s unwanted touching as “sexual in nature” but also said she was dismayed by pundits characterizing Biden as “nothing more than a serial hugger.”
She wrote that in the days following her essay, a number of “character witnesses” came forward to discuss Biden’s behavior who defended him for being “grandfatherly” or downplayed the seriousness of the contact.
“In my case, Biden’s version of a friendly hug was his hands on my shoulders, his body close to mine, from behind, smelling my hair and planting a slow kiss on my head when we had no personal relationship whatsoever,” Flores said.
“Consent doesn’t just apply when sex is involved. Consent also applies when you’re invading a woman’s space and touching the body of a woman you don’t know,” she said.
After Flores made the accusation, a number of other women responded by coming forward with similarly uncomfortable stories. Biden released a video over Twitter where he said he would be more mindful about personal space, but later made light of the accusations.
In the op-ed she knocked actress Alyssa Milano and others who defended Biden, saying they “selectively applied their #MeToo distress.” Milano came to Biden’s defense in a lengthy Twitter thread.
Biden is expected to announce a run for president soon and, despite not having announced his candidacy, is leading among candidates vying for the Democratic nomination. He is polling at 31% in a nationwide average of polls by RealClearPolitics.
