Joe Biden served eight years as vice president under Democratic President Barack Obama after 36 years as a US senator from Delaware.
In recent days, four women have said Biden made them feel uncomfortable when he touched them at political events in past years. After a former Nevada politician, Lucy Flores, said last week that Biden made her feel uneasy, gross, and confused when he kissed the back of her head at a 2014 campaign event, Biden released a statement saying he believed he never acted inappropriately during his many years in public life.
There was no immediate response to Biden’s statement from leading Democratic contenders. US Senators Kirsten Gillibrand, Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren and former congressman Beto Rourke, among others, have expressed sympathy for Biden’s accusers and have said they deserve to be heard.