Stephanie Carter, wife of former Defense Secretary Ash Carter, wrote a blog post Monday to contradict any assumptions that a photo of her and former Vice President Joe Biden is evidence of his inappropriate touching.
The photo began circulating after former Nevada Lieutenant Gov. nominee Lucy Flores’ recounted a time Biden unexpectedly kissed her on the top of the head, making her uncomfortable.
Carter emphasized that she does not know Flores and fully endorses her right to speak about her experiences.
“The Joe Biden in my picture is a close friend helping someone get through a big day, for which I will always be grateful,” Carter wrote. “So, as the sole owner of my story, it is high time that I reclaim it — from strangers, Twitter, the pundits and the late-night hosts.”
She recounted the day of the picture, when her husband was being sworn in.
“By the time then-Vice President Biden had arrived, he could sense I was uncharacteristically nervous- and quickly gave me a hug,” she continued. “After the swearing in, as Ash was giving remarks, he leaned in to tell me ‘thank you for letting him do this’ and kept his hands on my shoulders as a means of offering his support. But a still shot taken from a video — misleadingly extracted from what was a longer moment between close friends — sent out in a snarky tweet — came to be the lasting image of that day.”
Read her full account here.
