Syracuse , N. Y. (NCC News) – Former Vice-President Joe Biden faces new allegations of inappropriate contact after the New York Times published accounts by two more women on Tuesday, April 2nd 2019. Both Caitlyn Caruso , a former college student and sexual assault survivor, and D.J. Jill, a freelance writer, accused the potential 2020 Presidential Candidate of making them feel uncomfortable with unsolicited physical contact.
Caruso was only 19 years old when she said Mr. Biden rested his hand on her thigh despite her obvious signs of discomfort at an event on sexual assault at the University of Nevada in 2016.
Meanwhile, D.J. Hill recounted an event at which Biden allegedly put his hand on her shoulder and started to drop it down her back before her husband stepped in. She further acknowledged that she did not know whether he was aware of her discomfort at the time, but that changing norms brought upon partly by the #MeToo-Movement have encouraged her to speak up.
The first allegation of inappropriate touch was made by Lucy Flores, a former Nevada Assemblywoman. In an essay published by The Cut on March 29th, 2019, Flores detailed an encounter with the former vice president in 2014 where he had made her feel “uneasy, gross, and confused” after kissing her on the head from behind.
Fellow Democrats have been cautious to weigh in on the issue. In an interview with Politico, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi stressed that while the allegation should not be “disqualifying,” it should reinforce the idea that, “people’s space is important to them, and what’s important is how they receive it.”
