Joe Biden has become the presumptive Democratic nominee for the 2020 presidential election, despite accusations from women that the former vice president has kissed or touched them inappropriately throughout his career.
While none of these women previously alleged sexual assault, a woman named Tara Reade come forward last month on The Katie Halper Show podcast and accused Biden of digitally penetrating her in 1993. At the time, Reade was a staff assistant to Biden while he was working in the United States Senate.
On Sunday, the New York Times published its own examination into the allegation. Here's what we know so far.
What Reade has said about Biden:
Last year, Reade accused Biden of making her feel uncomfortable, saying he would stroke her neck and touch her hair during the time she worked for him. The California-based newspaper The Union reported in April 2019 that Reade said Biden would "put his hand on my shoulder and run his finger up my neck." She also told the paper that she lost job responsibilities after she declined to serve drinks at an event, which she says she was asked to do because Biden liked her legs. The Unionconfirmed with "a confidante of Reade's at the time" that Reade shared the story shortly after it happened.
Reade then went public with her sexual assault accusation in March 2020 on the podcast The Katie Halper Show. She has said she waited to share her account due to the criticism and threats she received after speaking out in 2019. Reade also told Salon that she considered sharing the full story with The Union but felt shut down by the "way he asked the questions."
During the podcast interview, Reade said that Biden was "handsy with a lot of people" and that his actions made her feel like "an inanimate object." In terms of the alleged assault, Reade shared on the podcast that she was once instructed to give Biden his athletic bag. "The gym bag, I don’t know where it went," she said. "I handed it to him. It was gone and then his hands were on me and underneath my clothes. And then he went down my skirt, but then up inside it and he penetrated me with his fingers. And he was kissing me at the same time and he was saying something to me."
She recalled him saying, "Do you want to go somewhere else?" As she pulled away, she says Biden said, "Come on man, I heard you liked me," and before he left, grabbed her by the shoulders and said, "You're okay. You're fine."
After the incident, Reade says her mother, who has since passed away, wanted her to file a police report. Reade did not file a report at the time, but says she raised concerns with numerous staff members in Biden's office about the harassment, though she did not mention the assault. When they did not take action, Reade says she filed a written complaint with a Senate personnel office, although the Times was unable to locate the complaint. Afterwards, Reade says most of her office responsibilities were taken away from her, and she was eventually told to find another job. (Those staff members have since told the Times they do not remember Reade reporting an incident of harassment.)
Last week, Reade filed a report with the Washington D.C. police stating she was sexually assaulted back in 1993. The report does not refer to Biden by name, but Reade told the Times that the report concerns her allegation of assault by Biden.
The Times has since interviewed Reade, and the paper reports that a friend of Reade's said she told her about the alleged assault at the time. Reade's brother and another friend also said she had told them about "a traumatic sexual incident" with Biden. Two former interns that Reade managed in the Senate office told the Timesthat she "abruptly stopped supervising them in April, before the end of their internship."
Throughout the Times' investigation, the paper reports it found no patten of sexual misconduct by Biden and that no other allegation of sexual assault came up during reporting. While the Times reports that Reade voted for Senator Bernie Sanders in the California presidential primary, Reade has said her decision to go public has nothing to do with the election.
How Biden has responded:
Kate Bedingfield, a deputy Biden campaign manager, said in a statement: "Vice President Biden has dedicated his public life to changing the culture and the laws around violence against women. He authored and fought for the passage and reauthorization of the landmark Violence Against Women Act. He firmly believes that women have a right to be heard—and heard respectfully. Such claims should also be diligently reviewed by an independent press. What is clear about this claim: It is untrue. This absolutely did not happen."
No comments:
Post a Comment