Vice President Joe Biden plans to carry his message against sexual assault onto a television episode of the hit series “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit.”
The vice president was scheduled to tape his appearance in New York Friday, according to his public schedule. He’s seeking to advance his message on winnowing down the backlog of untested rape kits, and more broadly his efforts to end violence against women, the White House said.
That aspect of Biden’s record was highlighted during a biographical video screened ahead of his appearance at the Democratic National Convention Wednesday. The video was narrated by Mariska Hargitay, the star of “Law and Order: SVU,” with whom Biden has partnered previously on similar issues.
“.@VP Biden u have done so much 4 women, 4 survivors, 4 this movement 2 end violence #ThankU. An honor to intro u tonight #ChangingTheCulture,” Hargitay wrote on Twitter.
Biden and Hargitay — who plays fictional Lieutenant Olivia Benson on the show — together toured a facility that tests rape kits in New York this fall. And in 2014, Biden taped public service announcements about preventing sexual violence that appeared during commercial breaks of a “Law and Order: SVU” marathon.
The federal government has estimated that hundreds of thousands of rape kits go untested due to lack of resources and funding.
Biden’s appearance was expected to air in the show’s 18th season, premiering on September 21.
It also comes as Donald Trump has declared himself the “law and order” candidate — a moniker Biden openly laughed at during an appearance on ABC earlier this week.
On Wednesday, Biden gave what is expected to be the final major political address of his career at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, skewering GOP nominee Donald Trump and endorsing Democrat Hillary Clinton.
“How can there be pleasure in saying ‘you’re fired?’ He’s trying to tell us he cares about the middle class? Give me a break!” Biden explained before offering his own well-used tagline: “That’s a bunch of malarkey!”
“This guy doesn’t have a clue about the middle class. Not a clue. He has no clue about what makes America Great. Actually he has no clue. Period,” Biden said, inciting chants of “Not a Clue! Not a Clue!”
