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Amy Lappos, 43, told the Hartford Courant that at a $1,000-per-plate fundraiser in Greenwich in 2009, the potential 2020 presidential hopeful grabbed her head and rubbed nose with her. The incident was initially posted on social media before making national news this week.
At the time of the alleged incident, Lappos was acting as an aide for Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes. She said that she didn’t report the incident for nearly a decade because she felt that the now 76-year-old Biden was so powerful. Lappos’ allegation took place at the home of developer Ron Moelis.
“It wasn’t sexual, but he did grab me by the head," Lappos told the Courant. “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.”
“I never filed a complaint, to be honest, because he was the vice president. I was a nobody,” she stated. “There’s absolutely a line of decency. 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.”
Under the pseudonym “Alice Paul” on Facebook, Lappos posted, “ Biden did something similar to me at a fundraiser in Greenwich when I was a Congressional Aide. I’m really disappointed to see this post ask 'thoughts' as if the grossness of men invading women’s boundaries to sniff and touch is is debatable. And shame on some of the women here excusing this as boys being boys or it’s not as bad as Trump.
“I can speak from experience when I say it’s an incredibly uncomfortable situation and not at all acceptable. We need to hold our men to the same standards we hold all men.”
Lappos became the second woman to make allegations against Biden, who has vehemently denied that he acts inappropriately around women. Former Nevada Assemblywoman alleges that Biden inappropriately touched her while she was running for lieutenant governor, smelling her hair in the process.
“In my many years on the campaign trail and in public life, I have offered countless handshakes, hugs, expressions of affection, support and comfort. And not once – never – did I believe I acted inappropriately,” Biden previously said in a statement. “If it is suggested I did so, I will listen respectfully. But it was never my intention.
"I may not recall these moments the same way, and I may be surprised at what I hear. But we have arrived at an important time when women feel they can and should relate their experiences, and men should pay attention. And I will.”
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