JOE BIDEN SEXUAL ASSAULT ACCUSER TARA READE FILES CRIMINAL COMPLAINT
A former Senate aide who last year accused Joseph R. Biden
Jr. of inappropriate touching has made an allegation of sexual assault against
the former vice president, the Democratic Party’s presumptive presidential
nominee this fall.
The former aide, Tara Reade, who briefly worked as a staff
assistant in Mr. Biden’s Senate office, told The New York Times that in 1993,
Mr. Biden pinned her to a wall in a Senate building, reached under her clothing
and penetrated her with his fingers. A friend said that Ms. Reade told her the
details of the allegation at the time. Another friend and a brother of Ms.
Reade’s said she told them over the years about a traumatic sexual incident
involving Mr. Biden.
A spokeswoman for Mr. Biden said the allegation was false.
In interviews, several people who worked in the Senate office with Ms. Reade
said they did not recall any talk of such an incident or similar behavior by
Mr. Biden toward her or any women. Two office interns who worked directly with
Ms. Reade said they were unaware of the allegation or any treatment that
troubled her.
Last year, Ms. Reade and seven other women came forward to
accuse Mr. Biden of kissing, hugging or touching them in ways that made them
feel uncomfortable. Ms. Reade told The Times then that Mr. Biden had publicly
stroked her neck, wrapped his fingers in her hair and touched her in ways that
made her uncomfortable.
Soon after Ms. Reade made the new allegation, in a podcast
interview released on March 25, The Times began reporting on her account and
seeking corroboration through interviews, documents and other sources. The
Times interviewed Ms. Reade on multiple days over hours, as well as those she
told about Mr. Biden’s behavior and other friends. The Times has also
interviewed lawyers who spoke to Ms. Reade about her allegation; nearly two
dozen people who worked with Mr. Biden during the early 1990s, including many
who worked with Ms. Reade; and the other seven women who criticized Mr. Biden
last year, to discuss their experiences with him.
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