WASHINGTON DC: Pressure is mounting on presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden to break his silence over allegations of sexual assault on Tara Reade, a former Senate staffer.
Biden promised after his sweeping victories in the March 10 primaries to be an “honest, trusted, truthful and steady” leader.
Reade first broke the story of the assault in April 2019. Her claims are circulating in the US media again after a call believed to be made by her mother to Larry King’s CNN show just resurfaced.
The mother asked the host in 1993 how to handle “problems” her daughter had while working for a “prominent US senator.”
The mother lamented that the only thing her daughter could do was to talk to the press, “but she chose not to do it out of respect for him.”
This week, two people have come forward to corroborate details of Reade’s claims. “This happened, and I know it did because I remember talking about it,” Lynda LaCasse, who was Reade’s neighbor in the mid-1990s, told the Business Insider.
LaCasse supplied details of the conversation with Reade, “and the more she talked about it, the more she started crying.”
LaCasse describes herself as a “very strong” Democrat. Her social media accounts are rife with criticisms of US President Donald Trump.
She said she had no political motive behind volunteering to support Reade, and she would vote for Biden regardless.
“I have to support (Reade) just because that’s what happened,” LaCasse said. “We need to stand up and tell the truth.”
Lorraine Sanchez, the other source, worked with Reade in the mid-1990s. She said she recalls Reade complaining that she had been sexually harassed by her boss in Washington DC, and was fired after complaining about it to a Senate human resources office.
Biden, who was senator for Delaware at the time, has remained quiet about Reade’s allegations. His campaign has been referring the media to a previous statement denying the claims.
Many other women have come forward with claims of sexual harassment by Biden, including Lucy Flores, a former Nevada lieutenant governor nominee who said he kissed her hair, making her feel “uneasy, gross and confused.”
Biden issued a statement saying he had, along years on the campaign trail, offered countless expressions of affection, but it was never his intention to act inappropriately.
“We have arrived at an important time when women feel they can and should relate their experiences, (and) men should pay attention. And I will,” he added, vowing to remain a strong advocate for women.
The story prompted the New York Times to dig into Biden’s past. While acknowledging that his forte had always been his ability to connect and “lavish affections on women and girls,” the article warned that “the political ground has shifted under Mr. Biden, and his tactile style of retail politicking is no longer a laughing matter in the era of #MeToo.
Now, as he considers a run for president, Mr. Biden is struggling to prevent a strength from turning into a crippling liability.”
Reade filed a report with the DC police memorializing her allegations about the 1993 incident.
The case has been “moved to an inactive status,” a police spokesman told the Business Insider. Reade said she expected that outcome, but added that she is not backing down.
