Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) is the latest Democrat to come to the defense of Joe Biden in the face of Tara Reade’s allegations of sexual assault against the presumed Democratic nominee. In the Fall of 2018, during the blisteringly partisan confirmation hearings for then-Judge Brett Kavanaugh, Sen. Feinstein was a driving force behind the smear campaign against the well-qualified jurist’s confirmation to the Supreme Court. Sen. Feinstein and her Democratic colleagues used allegations of misconduct as an avenue to derail Kavanaugh's confirmation, but refuse to give Reade's allegations against Biden any consideration.
When asked, plainly, Sen. Feinstein confirmed that she stands by the former vice president:
“No, I do not,” she said when asked if she believes Reade’s claims.
Even before any allegations of misconduct against then-Judge Kavanaugh became public knowledge, Sen. Feinstein was publicly against his confirmation. Even so, Sen. Feinstein hid a letter that she received from Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, dated July of 2018, alleging claims of misconduct against Kavanaugh. Rather than release the information in a timely manner, Sen. Feinstein sat on the letter until the judge’s confirmation appeared to be smooth-sailing. Her 11th-hour reveal of Dr. Ford’s allegations turned the confirmation into a national spectacle to the highest degree of partisanship. During Dr. Ford’s testimony, she claimed that she was “certain” that Kavanaugh was the one who attacked her, and her word alone was enough for Sen. Feinstein to be convinced of Kavanaugh’s guilt:
.@SenatorDurbin 's question on Dr. Blasey Ford’s certainty that Brett Kavanaugh was her attacker could not be clearer, and her answer leaves no room for doubt. pic.twitter.com/uQLDpyCUhi
— Senator Dianne Feinstein (@SenFeinstein) September 28, 2018
During then-Judge Kavanaugh's confirmation, Sen. Feinstein claimed that the information in support of Dr. Ford's claims was both credible and believable; Tara Reade's cases is bolstered by more substantial evidence, memory and corroboration, which seems to be lost on Sen. Feinstein:
During every step of this process, I’ve found every single piece of information from Dr. Christine Blasey Ford eminently credible, sincere and believable. She knew this would have a huge effect on her life and she was incredibly brave to come forward.
— Senator Dianne Feinstein (@SenFeinstein) September 18, 2018
Less than two years later, Sen. Feinstein’s approach to misconduct allegations is staunchly different, when Joe Biden, whom she endorsed for president, is accused. Tara Reade’s allegations against the former vice president and presumed Democratic nominee have gained national attention, and rightfully so; with firm memories of the alleged assault and multiple people to corroborate, Reade’s story is worth investigating.
Despite her dismissal of Reade’s allegations, without hearing her story in full, Sen. Feinstein previously claimed that Republicans were discouraging women from coming forward with misconduct claims:
The terrible treatment of Dr. Ford and Ms. Ramirez by Senate Republicans tells every woman in this country to keep sexual assault to themselves. We must send a different message, a message of support.
— Senator Dianne Feinstein (@SenFeinstein) October 3, 2018
Sen. Feinstein had no "message of support" for Tara Reade.
When pressed on the double standard employed by Democrats who were quick to condemn Kavanaugh, Sen. Feinstein claimed that the cases of the two men are “totally different.” The California Democrat said that Kavanaugh was under “the harshest inspection” during his Supreme Court confirmation, ignoring that Biden is running for the highest office in the land:
Dianne Feinstein, ranking Democrat on Senate Judiciary, argued to us that the Kavanuagh situation is “totally different” than the Tara Reade allegations against Biden. "Kavanuagh was under the harshest inspection that we give people over a substantial period of time.”
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) May 7, 2020
Sen. Feinstein went on to question Reade, wondering why the former Biden aide had not reported her claims earlier, and contended that the cases of Kavanaugh and Biden were not comparable.
"Why didn't she say something -- you know when he was Chairman of the Judiciary Committee or after that?" Feinstein rejected the notion of a Dem double standard and argued the situation isn’t “comparable” to Kavanaugh
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) May 7, 2020
Sen. Feinstein declined to comment on the records from Biden’s 36-year tenure in the Senate, which are currently under lock-and-key at the University of Delaware after Biden donated the records in their entirety in 2011. It is unclear whether or not the collection of records contain any complaint from Reade, but despite his claim that nothing damning is present in the records, Biden has not yet unsealed the collection.
Sen. Feinstein’s solidarity with Biden, and attempted smear of Reade without hearing her full story, is representative of the blatant hypocrisy that is currently on display in the face of Reade’s claims against Biden. Sen. Feinstein helped concoct the smear campaign against Brett Kavanaugh after purposefully keeping Dr. Ford’s claims against the nominee under wraps for months. It should also not be forgotten that Reade has more evidence and corroboration in her corner than Dr. Ford, or any of the other accusers had in the case of then-Judge Kavanaugh; nonetheless, Sen. Feinstein believed the unsubstantiated claims against Kavanaugh, and even claimed that his eventual confirmation would undermine the Supreme Court:
Confirming Brett Kavanaugh in the face of credible allegations of sexual assault that were not thoroughly investigated, and his belligerent, partisan performance in last Thursday’s hearing undermines the legitimacy of the Supreme Court.
— Senator Dianne Feinstein (@SenFeinstein) October 6, 2018
Of all the Democratic lawmakers coming to Biden’s defense, without fully considering Reade’s claims, Sen. Feinstein’s vehement solidarity with the former vice president is perhaps the most hypocritical. Rather than remain silent or give a generic defense of her preferred presidential candidate, as her colleagues have, Sen. Feinstein went as far as to insinuate that Reade is fabricating her allegations against Biden, less than two years after the California Democrat falsely accused Republicans of dismissing Dr. Ford’s claims.