Biden accuser says his recent jokes were ‘incredibly disrespectful’

Lucy Flores, a former Nevada state legislator who accused Joe Biden of inappropriate touching at an event in 2014, said Monday the former vice president’s recent jokes on the matter are “incredibly disrespectful.”

His joke was “so incredibly disrespectful,” Flores said after being asked about it by Fox News host Shannon Bream.

“Frankly, to me it demonstrated that the words that he said — that he was going to take this very seriously, that he was going to listen, that he was going to learn — to me, that indicated that he didn’t mean that at all,” Flores said.

Biden, days after Flores went public with her allegations, joked at an electrical union workers’ event in Washington, D.C., after hugging the union’s president that he “had permission” to do so.

{mosads}Flores in an op-ed accused Biden of unwanted touching during a campaign rally in 2014, writing that he came up from behind her, put his hands on her shoulders and smelled her hair and kissed the back of her head.

“That is unprofessional, inappropriate behavior, no matter who does it,” Flores said Monday on Fox News. “We’re talking about the fact that, as women, we have had to endure this kind of inappropriate behavior on behalf of powerful men certainly for as long as I’ve been alive — you know, forever,” Flores said.

She added that the reason she came forward about the incident is because powerful men such as Biden for too long have been able to get away with openly affectionate behavior towards women, The Associated Press noted.

After Flores brought the incident to light, additional women came forward to accuse Biden of similar behavior.

Biden in a video statement said he would be “much more mindful” of others’ personal space but was adamant that he did not remember his experience with Flores the same way she did.

He added that “if it is suggested I did so, I will listen respectfully.”