Reflecting on the allegations of sexual misconduct leveled against Justice Clarence Thomas and Judge Brett Kavanaugh, Joe Biden said just about the opposite of what he needed to.

The former vice president offered his thoughts on both controversies in a chat with reporters Monday night. “For a woman to come forward in the glaring lights of focus, nationally, you’ve got to start off with the presumption that at least the essence of what she’s talking about is real, whether or not she forgets facts, whether or not it’s been made worse or better over time,” Biden contended, according to an account in the Washington Post. “But nobody fails to understand that this is like jumping into a cauldron.”