Tara Reade Interview: Joe Biden Assault Accuser Urges Him to Quit Presidential Race
Tara Reade, who accuses Democratic White House candidate Joe Biden of assaulting her 27 years ago, has called on him to quit the presidential race.
In an interview, Tara Reade urged Joe Biden to “please step forward and be held accountable”.
The 56-year-old added: “You should not be running on character for the president of the United States.”
Joe Biden, who is set to challenge President Donald Trump in November, has denied Tara Reade’s accusation.
Tara Reade worked as a staff assistant to Joe Biden from 1992 to 1993 when he was a Delaware senator.
In her most detailed account yet of the alleged assault, Tara Reade told media personality Megyn Kelly the incident happened in 1993.
Tara Reade was asked by Megyn Kelly if she wanted Joe Biden to withdraw from the race.
She said: “I wish he would, but he won’t, but I wish he would.
“That’s how I feel emotionally.”
She offered to take a lie detector test about her claim, on condition that Joe Biden do so also.
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Tara Reade said she had received a death threat after Biden supporters accused her without evidence of being a Russian agent.
She continued: “His surrogates have been saying really horrible things about me and to me on social media.
“He hasn’t himself, but there is a measure of hypocrisy with the campaign saying it’s been safe – it’s not been safe.
“All of my social media has been hacked, all of my personal information has been dragged through.”
Joe Biden campaign communications director Kate Bedingfield said in a statement after the interview aired that Tara Reade’s story contained “inconsistencies”.
“Women must receive the benefit of the doubt,” said the statement.
“They must be able to come forward and share their stories without fear of retribution or harm – and we all have a responsibility to ensure that.
“At the same time, we can never sacrifice the truth. And the truth is that these allegations are false and that the material that has been presented to back them up, under scrutiny, keeps proving their falsity.”
Joe Biden, who is the Democratic Party’s presumptive presidential nominee, broke his silence on the matter a week ago, appearing on a morning TV show to brand the allegations “false”.
A court document from 1996 shows Tara Reade’s ex-husband describing “a problem she was having at work regarding harassment, in US Senator Joe Biden’s office”, the San Luis Obispo Tribune reported.
“It was obvious that this event had a very traumatic effect on [Reade], and that she is still sensitive and effected [sic] by it today,” wrote Theodore Dronen, Tara Reade’s then-husband, in a legal memo during their divorce battle.
The file obtained by the California newspaper appears to be the only document from the time that might describe Tara Reade’s allegation.
Tara Reade’s brother, a former neighbor and a former colleague have all said they heard her describe the accusation against her boss after the alleged incident. Her mother appears to have called a CNN show about the claim back in 1993.
High-powered Manhattan lawyer Douglas Wigdor said in a statement that he is representing Tara Reade. He has also represented alleged assault victims of jailed Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.