Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is receiving significant incoming fire after a former staffer alleged he sexually assaulted her.
Last April, Tara Reade, who worked as a staffer in Biden’s Senate office from December 1992 to August 1993, told the northern California newspaper The Union that Biden inappropriately touched her on multiple occasions.
This week, Reade offered a more detailed account to liberal podcaster Katie Halper, alleging that in one instance Biden reached up her skirt and penetrated her vagina.
Reade — who is supporting the presidential bid of Biden’s only remaining opponent, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont — said the incident happened in 1993 when she was in her mid-20s and Biden was 50.
The former Capitol Hill staffer recounted to Halper that the senator began kissing her and asked, “‘Do you want to go somewhere else?’”
When she resisted his advance, Biden said, “Come on, man, I heard you liked me,” according to Reade.
She said that as it became clear she was not receptive to his advance, Biden became irritated and said to her, “You’re nothing to me. Nothing.”
Reade said she then became upset and he grabbed her by the shoulders, telling her, “You’re OK, you’re fine. You’re OK,” and then walked away.
Reade told The Union she raised Biden’s misconduct with the U.S. Senate personnel office, and the newspaper confirmed with a confidant of Reade’s at that time she had talked about inappropriate touching by the senator.
Biden’s campaign issued a statement Friday calling the accusations “false,” Fox News reported.
Many, however, have doubts about that. The hashtag “TimesUpBiden” was trending on Twitter on Friday, as was “IBelieveTara.”
Not surprisingly, at least some of those speaking out against the former vice president are Sanders supporters.
