The New York Times editorial board is now calling for the Democratic Party to investigate Tara Reade’s claim that she was sexually assaulted by Joe Biden when she worked in his senate office.
Biden’s campaign and surrogates had previously claimed that he had been “cleared” after an investigation by the New York Times, which the paper has also said is false.
“His campaign, and his party, have a duty to assure the public that the accusations are being taken seriously,” the editorial board wrote on Friday evening. “The Democratic National Committee should move to investigate the matter swiftly and thoroughly, with the full cooperation of the Biden campaign.”
Reade has claimed that she was corned by the then-senator in his office in 1993 — and that he penetrated her with his fingers without consent. She maintains that she filed a harassment complaint about the incident in 1993, but Biden has refused to release any of the records.
“Any serious inquiry must include the trove of records from Mr. Biden’s Senate career that he donated to the University of Delaware in 2012. Currently, those files are set to remain sealed until after Mr. Biden retires from public life — a common arrangement. There are growing calls for Mr. Biden to make those records available to see if they contain any mention of Ms. Reade or perhaps others who raised similar complaints about his behavior,” the editorial board continued.
On Thursday, the Times also called out the Biden campaign for using their article to claim he had been cleared of any wrongdoing.
The talking point has already been echoed by Stacey Abrams, who has been lobbying to be his VP pick, and many others.
“BuzzFeed reported on the existence of talking points being circulated by the Biden campaign that inaccurately suggest a New York Times investigation found that Tara Reade’s allegation ‘did not happen,’” Times Vice President of Communications Danielle Rhoades Ha said in a statement. “Our investigation made no conclusion either way. As BuzzFeed correctly reported, our story found three former Senate aides whom Reade said she complained to contemporaneously, all of whom either did not remember the incident or said that it did not happen.”
When questioned by CNN’s Don Lemon about the allegation, Abrams pointed to the New York Times report.
"I think that he's telling the truth and that this did not happen."
Former Democratic Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams said she believes the denial issued by former Vice President Joe Biden's campaign regarding Tara Reade's allegation of sexual assault in 1993. pic.twitter.com/fKWmSgWk7V
— CNN Tonight (@CNNTonight) April 29, 2020
Abrams statement came directly from talking points issued to supporters by Biden’s campaign that were first reported on by BuzzFeed’s Ruby Cramer.
“Biden believes that all women have the right to be heard and to have their claims thoroughly review. In this case, a thorough review by the New York Times has led to the truth: this incident did not happen,” the talking points state.
The New York Times article did not clear Biden or deem the allegation uncredible.
The article they have been referencing, “Examining Tara Reade’s Sexual Assault Allegation Against Joe Biden,” actually states that “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.”
Biden has denied the allegations.
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