Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York, chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, said in a Wednesday radio interview that he believes Tara Reade’s 1993 sexual assault allegation against presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden should be “investigated seriously” and that he thinks Biden will have to directly address the matter.
Reade, who was a former aide for Biden when he served as Delaware’s senator during the 1990s, claimed that he pushed her against a wall and penetrated her with his fingers in 1993. She has also filed a criminal complaint with the Washington Metropolitan Police Department over the matter.
“It’s got to be taken seriously because this is a serious allegation raised by a serious individual and needs to be investigated seriously. We’ve probably got to hear from him [Biden] at some point directly,” Jeffries said Wednesday on WNYC when asked about Reade’s allegations.
“I’m not really in a position to say what is the appropriate mechanism,” he said, “although this needs to be taken seriously.”
Biden’s campaign has denied the allegations. Though Biden has never publicly addressed them, it’s expected that he might do so in a Friday morning appearance on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, according to a Thursday evening tweet from MSNBC.
Newsweek has reached out to the Biden campaign for comment. This story will be updated upon response.
“I don’t know anything about it,” said President Donald Trump when asked about Reade’s allegations at Thursday’s White House daily coronavirus briefing.
“I think that he should respond,” he continued. “You know, it could be false accusations. I know all about false accusations. I have been falsely charged numerous times.”
Trump has been accused of rape and attempted rape a total of three times.
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Representative Jeffries is just one of a growing chorus suggesting a deeper look into the allegations.
The Washington Post editorial board has also said that the Democratic party should more thoroughly investigate the matter.
The board suggested an investigation might start by examining the 1,875 boxes and 415 gigabytes worth of records that Biden donated to the University of Delaware in 2012. The archives, which span Biden’s 36-year Senate career, could contain some record of a complaint made by Reade or other women.
On a Thursday interview with CNN’s New Day, Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she was “satisfied” with how Biden has responded to the allegations thus far, adding, “I have great sympathy for any women who bring forth an allegation,” and “I’m a big strong supporter of the #MeToo movement.”
In an April 15 interview, New York Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said the Democratic Party has an obligation to examine Reade’s allegations as well.
“I think it’s legitimate to talk about these things,” Ocasio-Cortez said.”If we again want to have integrity, you can’t say, you know, both believe women, support all of this, until it inconveniences you.”
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