At an event aimed at female voters, Vice President Joe Biden praised Bob Packwood, an Oregon senator who resigned in 1995 over allegations of sexual assault and abuse.
Speaking at the Democratic National Committee’s Women’s Leadership Forum in Washington, Biden said Packwood was “the kind of Republican” he missed.
A moderate Republican, Packwood was often praised by Democratic colleagues for his pro-choice and environmentalist votes. But a Washington Post story outlining allegations by 10 female staffers and lobbyists of sexual misconduct by Packwood led to his eventual resignation from the Senate.
It was the third slip by Biden this week, after he called some bankers “Shylocks” and referred to Asia as “the Orient” in another speech.
When asked about Biden’s comments later Friday, White House press secretary Josh Earnest said the vice president didn’t have to defend his record on women’s issues to “anyone.”
A RealClearPolitics average of polls has Biden far behind Hillary Clinton for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination.
This article was published at 12:54 p.m. and has been updated.
