New Hampshire state representative resigns over tweet about sexual assault allegation against Joe Biden
"The tweets were very poorly worded and do not reflect who I am and what I stand for."
A New Hampshire state representative resigned over the weekend following a bizarre tweet apparently meant to cast doubt on the sexual assault allegation against former vice president and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.
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Richard Komi, a Manchester Democrat and Biden supporter, submitted his resignation letter early Saturday morning at the request of House Speaker Steve Shurtleff, who said he was “appalled” by the lawmaker’s comments, according to the Union Leader.
In a tweet Friday morning, Komi said he believed Tara Reade — a former Senate staffer who recently came forward with the accusation that Biden penetrated her with his fingers in the basement of a Capitol Hill office building in 1993 — was “looking for attention” and had made up the allegation, based on the anatomy of a woman’s body.
“Judging by the position of the female vagina, it will not be easy for anyone to just put their finger into the vagina unless their [sic] is some Cooperation from the female herself,” Komi wrote. “That is why I believe Tara Reade’s allegations is false.”
The since-deleted tweet quickly drew condemnation from both the state’s Democratic and Republican parties, as well as national advocates for victims of sexual assault and domestic violence. Shurtleff, a Democrat, said in a statement Friday that the comments were “not fitting for the New Hampshire House of Representatives.”
“They were dismissive and hurtful to survivors of sexual assault across the Granite State and across the country,” the House speaker said, adding that he had called Komi and asked the lawmaker to resign from his East Manchester seat.
With hours, he did. According to the Union Leader, Komi told Shurtleff in an email that he was sorry for the remarks and asked for forgiveness from survivors of sexual violence.
“The tweets were very poorly worded and do not reflect who I am and what I stand for,” he wrote. “I ask for the forgiveness of all who have been a victim of sexual or any other kind of assault. I in no way excuse my poor judgment on this matter and hope that every one will know that I am truly sorry for my mistakes.”
Komi was one of three state representatives elected to represent Hillsborough 43 district. According to New Hampshire state law, a special election will be held to fill his now-vacant seat.
A refugee from Nigeria, Komi was first elected to the 400-member legislative body in 2008 and served one two-year term, before winning re-election in 2018. Secretary of State Bill Gardner told the Concord Monitor at the time that he was not aware of any other refugees who held elected office in the state.
Komi’s tweet came after Biden publicly responded for the first time to Reade’s allegation.
“I’m saying unequivocally, it never, never happened,” Biden said during an MSNBC interview Friday morning.
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