Marty Walsh on accusations against Joe Biden: ‘He is a very emotional person’
“We live in a tough world right now, to be honest with you."
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh described his friend Joe Biden as “a very emotional person” Monday, in the wake of accusations against the former vice president of inappropriately touching women.
Walsh told reporters at a event in Brighton that he didn’t know all the details “about that particular case that’s alleged,” when asked about a story published Friday by Lucy Flores, a former Nevada lawmaker who says Biden made her feel uncomfortable when he kissed the back of her head and put his hands on her shoulders in 2014. While he said it was “important that we respect women and respect women’s rights,” the Boston mayor said that Biden was also explaining his side of the story.
“We live in a tough world right now, to be honest with you,” Walsh said.
Biden, who is reportedly preparing to launch a 2020 presidential campaign later this month, said in a statement Sunday that he has never felt he acted inappropriately, but was willing to “respectfully” listen. And supporters say the 76-year-old’s history of affectionate, physical behavior is being misrepresented in the context of the recent #MeToo movement. However, a second woman came forward Monday describing a similar uncomfortable incident, in which Biden pulled her close and rubbed their noses together during a 2009 fundraiser in Connecticut.
Walsh, a fellow Democrat who developed a close relationship with Biden, said Monday that he felt the former vice president was “pretty clear” about his respect for women — though he also appeared to acknowledge Biden’s self-described “tactile” style.
“He is a very emotional person,” Walsh said Monday. “I witnessed it myself during the marathon when he was here for the one-year anniversary. He is a very emotional person. And I think I’ll let the pundits talk about it.”
The mayor’s ties to Biden date back to his first mayoral election in 2013, when the vice president accidentally congratulated the wrong Marty Walsh. In 2014, the vice president gave a passionate speech at the one-year anniversary ceremony of the Boston Marathon bombings. Biden also offered support for Walsh’s re-election campaign in 2017 and presided over the mayor’s second-term inauguration ceremony.
Walsh has not yet committed to supporting any candidate in the 2020 race for the Democratic presidential nomination. However, the idea that he might support Biden (over home-state Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who launched her campaign in February) was the premise of a joke at last month’s South Boston St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast.
“I have an old friend who hasn’t announced yet,” Walsh said during the event. “And I just want to wait and see to see the full field. People say that my friend is potentially too old, too moderate, talks too much. But I think Stephen Lynch deserves a chance.”
