US: Hecklers interrupt Biden speech, calling him names

ANKARA Democratic Party presidential hopeful Joe Biden faced interruptions from several hecklers while campaigning in New England in the U.S. northeast, according to media reports. Some hecklers called the former vice president "creepy" and a "pervert" during the Sunday night event in New Hampshire, according to Fox News. After Biden started speaking, a man in the back of the room accused him of acting inappropriately, shouting, "Don’t touch kids, you pervert." Biden has been accused by some women of kissing or touching them in ways that made them feel uncomfortable. "This is not a Trump rally," Biden fired back. "This is a democracy." Later, a woman chanted "quid pro Joe," referring to allegations about the business deals with Ukraine of Biden’s son Hunter. "I've released 21 years of my tax returns, how many has yours? What's he hiding?" Biden responded, referring to U.S. President Donald Trump, who is currently fighting the disclosure of his tax returns in court. In a phone call this July, Trump appeared to make nearly $400 million in military aid to help Ukraine fight Russian-backed separatists and a coveted White House meeting for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky contingent on a “quid pro quo” arrangement. In return, Zelensky was supposed to open corruption probes into Joe Biden and his son Hunter, who served on the board of Ukrainian gas company Burisma, as well as widely discredited claims of Ukrainian meddling in the 2016 U.S. election. Republicans have made the claims the centerpiece of their efforts to fight the impeachment and possible removal from office of Trump over alleged abuse of power. On Dec. 18, the House of Representatives impeached Trump -- akin to filing charges -- but has yet to send the articles of impeachment to the Senate for a trial. Biden is a leading candidate in the race to win the Democratic nomination and challenge Trump in fall 2020. Trump, a Republican, has accused Democrats pursuing his impeachment and removal of engaging in a "witch hunt."