In an interview with CBS News on Thursday, on a range of topics related to former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT) was asked about the sexual misconduct allegations faced by the former vice president.
A former aide to then-Senator Biden, Tara Reade, recounted a graphic, alleged encounter with Biden during her time working in his Senate office. Reade has been discredited and dismissed by the Biden campaign, Democratic operatives and their allies in the mainstream media; of course, the despicable treatment that Reade has been given thus far is diametrically opposed to the reception given to Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, who made allegations against a conservative jurist who would go on to sit on the Supreme Court. Thus far, Biden himself has not specifically addressed Reade’s claims, despite his commitment to hear and believe women who make these claims, without question.
The self-proclaimed socialist just recently endorsed the former vice president after exiting the Democratic primary. Sen. Sanders characterized Reade’s story as “relevant” to Biden’s candidacy, and affirmed her right to tell her side of the story:
From CBS News' Bernie Sanders interview this morning, on the Tara Reade allegations: pic.twitter.com/IyZadd4r0m
— John Iadarola (@johniadarola) April 16, 2020
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, an ally of Sen. Sanders who has not yet endorsed Biden, also expressed concern about Reade’s claims, and condemned the treatment that her party has given Reade thus far:
“I find this kind of silencing of all dissent to be a form of gaslighting.” @AOC https://t.co/mL8D9gCRn5
— Krystal Ball (@krystalball) April 15, 2020
Former Vice President Joe Biden deserves due process in this situation, as Tara Reade deserves the chance to tell her story without fear or repercussions. If the Democratic Party is the party that “believes women” as they claim, party officials will force Biden to answer to these allegations; in all likelihood, Biden will be exempt from the “believe women” standard invented by Democrats.
