Biden Accuser Tara Reade: Controversy Surrounds Senate Complaint, As Some Republicans Defend Democratic Frontrunner

Tara Reade, a former Senate aide who accused then-Sen. Joe Biden of sexual assaulting her in 1993, claimed Friday that she did not explicitly use the terms “sexual harassment” or “sexual assault” when filing a complaint at the time with a Senate personnel office.

“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,” she told the Associated Press. “I know that I was too scared to write about the sexual assault.”

“I talked about sexual harassment, retaliation. The main word I used – and I know I didn’t use sexual harassment — I used ‘uncomfortable.’ And I remember ‘retaliation,’” she added.

Reade has criticized the AP’s reporting on the subject, claiming the news outlet mischaracterized her words after the interview.

Biden has denied the allegations, telling MSNBC on Friday that “it never happened.”

Reade first made the sexual assault claim in March. In April 2019, she claimed that Biden had touched her in a non-sexual manner.

Michael J. Stern, a former federal prosecutor with the Justice Department for 25 years, presented doubts about Reade’s accusations in an op-ed article for USA Today this week.

Stern claims that it is unusual for someone to wait so long to report an incident and that Reade changed her story of Biden’s actions towards her, from inappropriate touching to her current claim of sexual assault. Stern also noted that Reade had said she told Biden staffers Marianne Baker, Dennis Toner and Ted Kaufman about the harassment, yet all three deny they heard the complaint.

Some top Republicans have somewhat defended Biden amid the allegations.

“I don’t know anything about it. I think he should respond,” Trump told reporters Thursday. “It could be false accusations. I know all about false accusations. I’ve been falsely charged numerous times, and there is such a thing.”

At least 25 women have accused Trump of sexual misconduct. He has denied all the allegations.

“The Joe Biden I know, I’ve never seen anything [or] believed that he would do anything like this,” Sen. Lindsey Graham, R- S.C., told Fox News on Friday.

Sexual assault has become a major issue in recent years, with the emergence of the #MeToo movement in 2017. Numerous high-profile celebrities have shared their stories of sexual harassment or assault, leading to criminal charges for figures such as film producer Harvey Weinstein.