Left-wing political activist and actress Alyssa Milano has backed former Vice President Joe Biden after two women accused him of inappropriate touching.
Milano, who is a prominent supporter of the #MeToo movement, posted a series of posts on Twitter expressing her support for the possible 2020 presidential candidate, along with a photo of Biden and herself.
“I am proud to call Joe Biden a friend,” Milano wrote on April 1. “He has been a leader and a champion on fighting violence against women for many years, and I have been fortunate to accompany him to events with survivors where he has listened to their stories, empathized with them, and comforted them.”
“I felt two hands on my shoulders. I froze. ‘Why is the vice president of the United States touching me?’” Flores stated. “I felt him get closer to me from behind. He leaned further in and inhaled my hair. I was mortified.”
“He proceeded to plant a big slow kiss on the back of my head,” she added.
Biden’s spokesperson, Bill Russo, issued a response on April 1, addressing the allegations.
“The Vice President has issued a statement affirming that in all the many years in public life that he has shaken a hand, given or received a hug, or laid his hand on a shoulder to express concern, support; or reassurance, he never intended to cause discomfort,” Russo wrote.
Milano also commented on Flores’s accusation, saying that she respects the former state rep’s decision to share her story but added that “we cannot assume all women’s experiences are the same.”
Her reaction to the accusations is in stark contrast to how she reacted to allegations of sexual misconduct against then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh in 2018. In a video posted to social media, she called for people to “bang down [senator’s] doors” to stop Kavanaugh’s confirmation.
Milano wrote that Kavanaugh’s confirmation “continues to institutionalize sexual violence while setting the stage to remove many of the rights that generations of women who came before have won in hard-fought battle after battle.”
Like Milano, Meghan McCain, who is a columnist, also voiced support for Biden on social media.
“Joe Biden is one of the truly decent and compassionate men in all of American politics. He has helped me through my fathers diagnosis, treatment, and ultimate passing more than anyone of my fathers friends combined. I wish there was more empathy from our politicians not less,” she tweeted.