Tara Reade, the former Biden aide who has accused the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee of sexually assaulting her in 1993, has vowed to never vote in a general election again.
Though she spent years working for various Democratic politicians, Reade says it’s evident the party cares more about “protecting Joe Biden” than taking the allegations against him seriously.
"I will not ever vote in a national election again. Despite the fact I come from a family of Democrats,” she told Fox News. “I worked for Leon Panetta, [California] State Sen. Jack O'Connell and Joe Biden. I worked hard for the Democratic Party as a young woman. It is obvious by the tremendous smears about me leveled by Biden campaign and supporters after I came forward about Biden and the complete lack of support from any Democrat that they care more about protecting Joe Biden than addressing the serious allegations by me and the other seven women who complained about his misconduct."
The incident allegedly took place in the basement of a Capitol Hill office building when Biden was a senator.
Reade goes on to note that she tried reaching out to her senator, Kamala Harris, for help, but never heard back.
“Joe Biden sexually assaulted and harassed me,” her statement continued. “All the rest of political discussion is noise and an effort to distract from the serious lack of justice I experienced at his hands. Coming forward has been difficult and resulted in 1993 with the loss of my job and career.”
She said efforts to share her story last year went nowhere.
"If people want to know why women don’t come forward, that’s a good example of why,” Reade said.
Biden deputy campaign manager and communications director Kate Bedingfield said that while Biden "firmly believes that women have a right to be heard — and heard respectfully...such claims should also be diligently reviewed by an independent press."
After Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court confirmation hearings, however, it's evident there is no "independent press" when it comes to such allegations. The double standards are on full display when it comes to the way Reade's story has been treated.
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