Geopolitics

Reade says she was too afraid to accuse Biden of sexual assault in 1993 report

Source: Darrian Traynor

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In an interview with The Associated Press, Tara Reade – the former Senate staffer accusing former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, of sexually assaulting her 27 years ago – reported that she issued a limited report against Biden that did not explicitly use the terms sexual assault or harassment.

Reade stated in the interview that the report issued to the congressional personnel office didn’t explicitly mention this because “I know that I was too scared to write about the sexual assault.”

Reade also recalled that her supervisor, a woman, dismissed her accusation.

“I remember talking about him wanting me to serve drinks because he liked my legs and thought I was pretty and it made me uncomfortable.” Reade said that her report did, however, contain the words “uncomfortable” and “retaliation.”

The existence of the report is now the basis of the sexual assault allegation Reade has leveled against Biden.

Reade has said that she doesn’t have a copy of the report. Biden referenced this on Friday when he said, “The former staffer has said she filed a complaint back in 1993, but she does not have a record of this alleged complaint.”

Biden has also stated that he has asked the Senate and the National Archives to search their records to try to locate a complaint from Reade.

Reade is one of eight women to publicly state that Biden has in the past made them feel uncomfortable.

However, Reade did not raise allegations of sexual assault against Biden until the time he became the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. Certain individuals have corroborated Reade’s story by coming forward to say that Reade confided in them about the alleged assault in the past.

One of these individuals is Lynda LaCasse who reported that Reade told her in 1995 or 1996 about being assaulted by Biden.