AMAC Exclusive
After months of investigations, cringe-worthy press conferences, and one very strange video showing him hugging and kissing various individuals, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has finally resigned over allegations of sexual harassment. As the evidence piled up against Cuomo, numerous leaders within the Democratic Party repeatedly called on the three-term governor to step down. But while Cuomo may be on his way out, his treatment by the media throughout his ordeal and subsequent resignation has underscored how similar accusations of “unwanted touching” against another powerful Democrat politician in the past did not receive nearly as much scrutiny – President Joe Biden.
Cuomo has denied harassment allegations since they first surfaced earlier this year, saying as recently as last week, “I never touched anyone inappropriately or made inappropriate sexual advances.” After initially defending Cuomo, saying that he was “sure” some of Cuomo’s embraces were “totally innocent,” Biden later told the media that “I think he should resign” following the release of an investigation that found Cuomo had engaged in unwanted groping, kissing, and hugging, as well as making inappropriate comments to multiple women.
But even as Biden attempts to distance himself from his old friend Andrew Cuomo, critics have pointed out the apparent inconsistency in the media and Democratic establishment’s treatment of accusations against Cuomo and Biden. During the 2020 campaign, Biden saw his own share of accusers come forward, many of whom have since called for a similar investigation into Biden’s conduct, to no avail.
The most serious allegation against Biden came from one of his former Senate aides, Tara Reade, who last year alleged that Biden sexually harassed and assaulted her when she worked for him in 1993. The most disturbing incident that Reade described was an instance where Biden allegedly pressed Reade against a wall inside the Capitol and reached under her skirt, touching her inappropriately.
The accusations don’t stop there for Biden, however. More than half a dozen other women have also described unwanted invasions of personal space by the President, both during his time as a Senator and as Vice President under Barack Obama.
In 2019, for example, Vail Kohnert-Yount, a former White House intern, told the Washington Post that in 2013 Biden “put his hand on the back of my head and pressed his forehead to my forehead” and called her a “pretty girl,” something that made Kohnert-Yount understandably uncomfortable.
Apparently, Biden has a particular affinity for pressing his forehead to the foreheads of others. Shortly before Biden announced he would run for President, another woman, Sofia Karasek, published an op-ed in the Washington Post calling for Biden to “take ownership for his actions” after a photo surfaced from the 2016 Academy Awards showing Biden touching foreheads with her. A third woman, Amy Stokes Lappos, has also alleged that Biden “put his hands behind my head and pulled me close and I thought, ‘he’s going to kiss me,’” at a fundraiser in 2009. Another photo from Obama’s 2012 campaign shows the then-Vice President engaging in the same forehead-touching activity with an unnamed young girl.
Biden has also raised eyebrows due to his uncomfortable interactions with children. During his 2020 campaign, for example, Biden told a 10-year-old girl “I bet you’re as bright as you are good-looking.” A few weeks later he also told the brothers of a 13-year-old girl that they must “keep the guys away from your sister.”
Although Biden released a two-minute video during the 2020 campaign addressing the allegations against him throughout the years, many deemed it a “non-apology apology.” In interviews, Biden appeared to make light of the situation, repeatedly joking about it and saying that he is “not sorry for any of my intentions” – leading some to speculate whether Biden thinks that he should be sorry for his actions, if not his intentions.
After initially applauding the bravery of Biden’s accusers in coming forward to tell their stories during last year’s presidential campaign, mainstream media and the Democratic establishment quickly went silent on the issue once Biden became the nominee.
Even Kamala Harris, a self-avowed champion of sexual harassment victims (conservatives will remember with disdain her harsh and unfair treatment of Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearing) has tried to rewrite history on her criticism of Joe Biden. Before dropping out of the 2020 race herself, Harris said of Biden’s accusers that “I believe them, and I respect them being able to tell their story and having the courage to do it.” But once Biden tapped Harris to be his running mate, Harris said that “the Joe Biden I know is somebody who really has fought for women and empowerment of women.” In other words, Harris believed Biden’s accusers until it was politically expedient not to.
Thus far, the White House has done its best to separate allegations against Andrew Cuomo from those against President Biden. At a press conference last week, White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said that accusations against Biden were “heavily litigated during the campaign.”
Ultimately, it’s unlikely that the President will face any sort of investigation. However, Republicans have pointed out that Democrats’ willingness to force Cuomo out of office while also overlooking allegations against Biden highlights the insincerity with which liberals claim to “believe all women” while also accusing Republicans of protecting perpetrators of sexual harassment.
While the downfall of Andrew Cuomo likely won’t change Democrats’ duplicitous behavior when it comes to addressing sexual misconduct, the contrast between their treatment of Cuomo and Biden may lead some Americans to question the integrity of other liberal claims heading into next year’s elections – something that could further spell disaster for Democrats’ chances.