A Girl Walks into the Senate…

My Time with Biden’s Senate Office

“As flies to wanton boys, are we to the Gods; they kill us for their sport.” William Shakespeare

I am not a “snowflake.” I like to be touched, a lot. I am an affectionate person. However, I like to decide who touches me and when. I did not understand or have the words back then to describe how I felt, but only sensed power moves and body language that I did not like. There was not yet the framework as there is now.

I did not like Joe Biden’s hand on me not for the reasons you think, it is because I am the alpha in the room too. Again, I like to be the one who chooses who enters my space and in what way.

We are sexual beings and we are all trying to figure out how to express this aspect of ourselves at work and home lives, it is a journey our society is on right now. But this is not only a story about sexual misconduct; it is a story about abuse of power. It is a story about when a member of Congress allows staff to threaten or belittle or bully on their behalf unchecked to maintain power rather than modify the behavior.

I had been approached in college by a political science professor to apply for an internship in a Congressional Office. After working as an intern in Washington D.C., I caught the political operative bug and worked on campaigns. I applied at then, Senator Joseph Biden’s Office and I was interviewed on the phone, flew back to DC, and hired at the in-person interview, on the spot. Senator Biden walked past as I was being interviewed and prepared for orientation, he asked me a question then as he breezed out, said, “Hire her,” with a smile.

I was beyond excited, I packed up my Nissan and cats, told my boyfriend goodbye and headed alone on the cross country drive to Washington D.C. I arrived at a place affectionately referred to by locals as “the nunnery.” It was an all women’s boarding dorm across from the Congress. It was considered a safe place for parents to send their young women who were interning and working as staff on the hill. We ate in a common dining hall, had gym locker type bathroom/showers and no men were allowed upstairs after 8 pm. It was secure and safe. Little did the parents know who unwittingly sent their young college grads here that the real predators were some of the Members of the House and…