As the Democratic National Convention comes to a close, with Joe Biden set to accept the party’s nomination on Thursday night, former aide to then-Senator Biden weighed in. Reade gained national attention when she accused Biden of sexually assaulting her while she worked in his Senate office.
Reade said that the DNC is “gaslighting” voters by propping up Biden, who has been accused of various forms of sexual misconduct over the years, via Fox News:
"I've communicated with other people who are watching this who had very visceral reactions to what's happening and how sexual assault survivors...We're being gaslighted, right, collectively," Reade said to Fox News. "They're pretending that they're the upholders of the 'Me Too' like a shield but meanwhile, some of their main Democratic elites, some of the main powerful people involved with the party are actually perpetrators themselves. And it's this denial, collective denial and gaslighting of survivors, that's been so concerning to me...And frankly, I think the Democratic National Committee is complicit because they're not just ignoring it. They're participating in it...and enabling those perpetrators.”
Reade also pointed to the Democratic Party’s hypocrisy on handling #MeToo issues. Former President Bill Clinton headlined this year’s convention, despite being credibly accused of rape and sexual misconduct, from multiple women, for decades.
“I'm a sexual assault survivor so to me, what the speaker lineup showed is kind of like a thumb in all of our faces. It was really draconian and really disappointing. Rape culture in the United States is thriving under the Democratic Party. I feel like they are not only enabling but they are allowing that behavior to continue just by virtue of who they lined up as speakers who have credible sexual assault and harassment allegations against them and I feel like there's an abandonment of, you know, the voices that are trying to be heard that really wanted systemic change about issues like sexual harassment in the workplace, sexual assault and other issues.”
The Democratic Party claims to be the party for women, and the party that “believes survivors” unquestionably in sexual misconduct cases. Democrats’ own bogus standard for navigating sexual assault cases is proven to only be used when the accused identifies as Republican. They continue to turn a blind eye to perpetrators within their own party, and the Democrats’ silencing of Tara Reade makes their priorities clear.