New Hampshire’s Brown Threatened Biden for Inappropriate Touch of Wife

Former Senator Scott Brown said he threatened to "kick the s**t" of then-Vice President Joe Biden when he got "handsy" with wife Gail Huff Brown at his inauguration in 2010.

During a segment of the podcast Burn Barrel, released on Wednesday, host Tom Shattuck brought up a previous interview in which Scott Brown had mentioned Biden's behavior following the swearing-in ceremony. Scott Brown won a special election in 2010 to complete the term of Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy after his death in 2009.

A New York Post report about the podcast includes a photo of the three showing Huff Brown with what was described as a "frozen grin" as Biden's hand lingered on her posterior during a photo session.

"I told him I'd kick the s**t out of him," Scott Brown told Shattuck. "I told him to stop."

When Shattuck asked Scott Brown to recount the incident, he declined, calling it "old news."

"He didn't act the way I thought he should and we called him on it," Brown said, adding that he spoke to Biden during the event about his behavior.

Brown also said he believes that Biden is showing signs of dementia and Alzheimer's and won't last a full second term if he wins re-election in 2024.

"He's got it. It's the walk, it's the way he's mumbling, his anger outbursts, and it's a shame that we can't do better," Brown said. "A lot of people don't want to run because of everything you're seeing now."

Biden has a reputation for sometimes not respecting personal space. It became an issue during the 2020 presidential campaign that Biden addressed in a tweet, explaining that he was aware that what he called "gestures of support and encouragement" made some men and women uncomfortable.

"Social norms are changing. I understand that, and I’ve heard what these women are saying. Politics to me has always been about making connections, but I will be more mindful about respecting personal space in the future. That’s my responsibility and I will meet it," Biden in along with a video in a tweet.

His behavior has continued, however, most recently in which he flicked a bug off of The Weather Channel's Stephanie Abrams chest during an interview at the Grand Canyon. He also called it "the ninth wonder of the world," according to Fox News coverage of the event.

Scott Brown served until 2013 and lost his re-election campaign to Democrat Elizabeth Warren. He later moved to Rye, ran unsuccessfully for Senate from New Hampshire, and lost a close election to Jeanne Shaheen in 2014.

He served as President Donald Trump's Ambassador to New Zealand and is currently chair of the Competitiveness Coalition. He was also coach of the Amesbury High School girls basketball team for the 2022-23 season.

As for the immediate political plans, the Browns have hosted many of the Republican presidential candidates at barbecues at their Rye home.  When Shattuck asked Scott Brown about his own plans, he replied "nothing in '24."

Gayle Huff Brown, a former journalist for Boston's WCVB TV, finished third in the 2022 First Congressional District Republican primary. In the 2024 GOP primary, only Russell Prescott has announced his candidacy.

Prescott also ran in the crowded 2022 primary against eventual winner Karoline Leavitt, Huff Brown, Matt Mowers, and Tim Baxter.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNH