Though Joe Biden is all but guaranteed to emerge as the Democratic presidential nominee, a development that would place him in a head-on battle with Donald Trump, there remains a disturbing dark cloud hovering over the former VP. It began when a former aide by the name of Tara Reade accused Biden of sexually assaulting her twenty-seven years ago, provided details about an encounter with Biden in 1993. As she explained: “[Biden] had me up against the wall; he used his knee to spread open my legs and put his fingers inside me.”
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Since Biden’s presidential campaign has picked up momentum, Reade has again raised awareness toward their alleged encounter; though initially reticent to cover the story at all, many mainstream news media outlets have finally taken the plunge and addressed the possibility of its authenticity. With the narrative continuing to plague his reputation, Joe Biden finally addressed Reade’s allegations by way of complete denial.
“This never happened,” reads the statement. “While the details of these allegations of sexual harassment and sexual assault are complicated, two things are not complicated. One is that women deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, and when they step forward they should be heard, not silenced. The second is that their stories should be subject to appropriate inquiry and scrutiny. Responsible news organizations should examine and evaluate the full and growing record of inconsistencies in her story, which has changed repeatedly in both small and big ways.”
The statement continues: “She has said she raised some of these issues with her supervisor and senior staffers from my office at the time. They — both men and a woman — have said, unequivocally, that she never came to them and complained or raised issues. News organizations that have talked with literally dozens of former staffers have not found one — not one — who corroborated her allegations in any way. Indeed, many of them spoke to the culture of an office that would not have tolerated harassment in any way — as indeed I would not have.”
It should be noted that Biden has not reached out to Tara Reade, nor does it appear he intends to. One thing is certain, however — this will not be the last we hear of this, especially if Trump has his way on the debate stage.
