# Former staffer accuses Joe Biden of sexual assault **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [March 27, 2020, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-staffer-accuses-joe-biden-of-sexual-assault/850393 "2020-03-27T03:13:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 31
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2020, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-staffer-accuses-joe-biden-of-sexual-assault/850393/601 "2020-05-01T03:17:10Z")
> [@River\_Hippie](#): > > Would it be reasonable to expect that before Obama, H. Clinton, Sanders and [these endorsers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Joe_Biden_2020_presidential_campaign_endorsements) voiced public support for Biden, they would have had their own people investigate Uncle Joe for any possible wrongdoing before they endorsed him and tied their personal reputations to his? I mean, I can’t believe the Obamas would endorse Biden without being damn sure they wouldn’t go down in history as backing a sexual abuser. No. Either they didnt know or choose to ignore it. Its how politics works. Hillary didnt know that one guy in Hollywood was an abuser yet she took his money. The Clintons attended Trumps wedding and thought highly of him before he ran. As someone else said politics is a team game and you want your team to win. In this case its the democratic party. They have already invested hundreds of millions in Biden. They have influence over many areas such as the MSM and Hollywood. Work with them and your rewarded. Go against them and they will shut you down. Biden won this nomination, not because he’s the best candidate, but because he has the most clout with the party. It’s his turn. He has made promises to various people. So again, they are playing as a team and the team must win. ---
**Author:** ![Warm\_blood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/df705f/32.png) [@Warm\_blood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Warm_blood)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2020, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-staffer-accuses-joe-biden-of-sexual-assault/850393/602 "2020-05-01T03:46:02Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > I’m skeptical of Reade’s account but this is pretty thin gruel. The bit given appears to be a description of (largely) consensual foreplay. If the scene was a woman being attacked like that or a boss doing it or something but this seems to be “Her dad once wrote a scene where a woman was penetrated with some guy’s fingers so she must be lying about being penetrated with some guy’s fingers…” It could very well just be an irrelevant coincidence and nothing more. Not saying that it means anything on its own. But just because it’s not an exact match-for-match of what Reade described happening to her doesn’t mean it couldn’t have served as inspiration for her fabulation. The book was published a decade ago, Reade claims the assault happened in ‘93 (with very shaky corroboration) yet there is no record of Reade lodging these allegations against Biden prior to this year. Moreover her father is dead so we can’t exactly ask him if he was aware that his daughter was sexually assaulted in a manner similar to sex scene in one of his novels at the time that he wrote it and if he had considered the appropriateness of writing such a scene knowing what happened to his daughter. We can’t establish which event preceded the other, what influenced what. I’m not ignoring that consensual fingering in literary erotica and the nonconsensual variant in real life happen frequently enough that a situation like this could arise and it’s nothing other than unfortunate timing/coincidence. But take into account all the other major inconsistencies and holes in her story that change faster than the weather, and you can’t wholly dismiss its relevance. > [@Ale](#): > > Never mind critical thinking Yeah, I can already tell. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2020, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-staffer-accuses-joe-biden-of-sexual-assault/850393/603 "2020-05-01T04:05:24Z")
> [@Warm\_blood](#): > > But just because it’s not an exact match-for-match of what Reade described happening to her… It’s not that it’s not “match-for-match”, it’s that it’s laughably barely similar. I mean, if the character was assaulted in a hallway or by a boss, I wouldn’t be saying “But he never says ‘Come on, man’ so it’s not a match”. Shit, if the character was even just _assaulted_, then maybe, if you squint… But this? This just makes people defending Biden look silly and desperate to discredit her. ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2020, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-staffer-accuses-joe-biden-of-sexual-assault/850393/604 "2020-05-01T09:42:12Z")
> [@xenophon41](#): > > “Deep siege mentality.” Gosh, wonder where that came from. And “bringing up Russia” as if that’s even relevant regarding Biden, Trump and the 2020 election. > > \ It came up from what **Warm Blood** wrote, also well before that the accusations of the whole thing being a Russian plot were flying. Warm Blood wrote, as one of the reasons not to believe her _“Her effusive praise for a dictator who’s meddled in the US elections”_, this is at the least poisoning the well because red-baiting is back in style. Where do _you_ think that came from, hmmm? But that is only one aspect of the siege mentality on display here, from posters, news organizations, politicians, etc… The reaction was, and still carries on, to treat the issue (any issue really) as enemy action, not an issue concerning two individuals. Everything is bipolar, us vs. them with a desperate need for gatekeeping to keep it that way. Accusations against Reade of being a Russian sympathizer/puppet/agent of some sort are a manifestation of that, not a dogwhistle because that implies subtlety, she is one of _them_ and it’s disloyal to the group to listen to her, it is not that she isn’t telling the truth, she is not just mistaken, she is the enemy. This sort of crap, that I bring up with some frequency on the board, keeps being used because it evidently is perceived to be a useful tool to contain the narrative, it signals both the need for strength against the other and an implicit threat of compliance against those within the group who may want to air anything that threatens the group. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2020, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-staffer-accuses-joe-biden-of-sexual-assault/850393/605 "2020-05-01T12:14:34Z")
He officially denied it and is going on MSNBC today [Biden denies sexual assault allegation: 'They aren't true. This never happened.' | CNN Politics](https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/01/politics/joe-biden-tara-reade-allegation/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2020, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-staffer-accuses-joe-biden-of-sexual-assault/850393/606 "2020-05-01T12:25:27Z")
A political campaign analyst noted that Biden’s statement said (paraphrased): I encourage the media to request any documents held by the Library of Congress archives regarding complaints of sexual harassment against me by Tara Reade. She felt this was a suspiciously narrow statement which caught her immediate attention because it should have been more broad to include “any complaints of harassment”. Not sure if that’s just grist for the mill, or as she suggests, a carefully worded statement meant to be used later as a qualifier for things that may be found with respect to other allegations but not with respect to Tara Reade. ---
**Author:** ![xenophon41](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xenophon41/32/253_2.png) [@xenophon41](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xenophon41)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2020, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-staffer-accuses-joe-biden-of-sexual-assault/850393/607 "2020-05-01T12:38:07Z")
> [@Ale](#): > > Warm Blood wrote, as one of the reasons not to believe her _“Her effusive praise for a dictator who’s meddled in the US elections”_, this is at the least poisoning the well because red-baiting is back in style. > > Where do _you_ think that came from, hmmm? Agreed that there’s a tendency to perceive every individual conflict as part of an overall dynamic between ideologies. I think that comes from a thirty year concerted effort by one US political party to “other” most of the rest of the country. YMMV, and I don’t wish to have that discussion right now, although it might make an interesting thread at some point. What I _would_ like to address though is your idea that such partisan and paranoid framing of issues is the only (or main) reason one would find Ms. Reade’s relatively sudden affinity for Russia and Putin a significant factor in her credibility. Since you’ve done us all the favor of directly quoting the strongest argument for consideration of that affinity as a factor in Ms. Reade’s assertions, let’s address the phrase from **Warm Blood** that’s got you upset: “_Her effusive praise for a dictator who’s meddled in the US elections…_” Can you explain how that description of Mr. Putin is inaccurate or exaggerated? Or the characterization of Reade’s recent conversion to Putin fandom, inaccurate or exaggerated? Because, unless you intend to argue that disinformation and other electoral interference -including recruitment and development of assets within the US- from Russia were confined to the 2016 general election and have not continued, I don’t see how this could _not_ be considered relevant by a neutral observer. And yes, that sort of suspicion by association _ **should** _ make us uncomfortable, but it’s hardly “red-baiting” to question the influences behind such a serious and surprising accusation targeting the most politically significant individual in opposition to Putin’s most politically significant US fan (POTUS) in an election year. Does this mean I or others should reasonably conclude Ms. Reade is a Russian asset? Absolutely NO. Requires actual evidence, not weakly founded supposition. Does it mean we should consider her relatively recent admiration for Putin and her relatively recent reversal from admirer to accuser of Biden to be very possibly related? YES, these are both dramatic shifts in Ms. Reade’s public stances which occurred contemporaneously. I don’t consider the Russian factor dispositive or conclusive. But I don’t think it’s part of any supposedly now fashionable return to “red-baiting”, and I don’t think it’s silly or unreasonable to list as one of many factors which cloud the specific issue of Reade’s credibility. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2020, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-staffer-accuses-joe-biden-of-sexual-assault/850393/608 "2020-05-01T12:39:21Z")
Here we go again. I’m sure it’s just a coincidence that this is coming out now as we head into the campaign in earnest. After his nomination and on the eve of the election, at least one more alleged victim will decide, just by coincidence of course, to go public with an accusation. Disinformation and character assassination are the weapons of choice for the “Ruthless Right”. When one realizes that there are an almost an endless number of reasons why people shouldn’t vote for their man, one realizes that it’s pretty much the only strategy they have. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2020, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-staffer-accuses-joe-biden-of-sexual-assault/850393/609 "2020-05-01T12:53:04Z")
It just occurred to me that she is saying he did the same thing Trump admitted he did - grabbed her by the p\*ssy. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2020, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-staffer-accuses-joe-biden-of-sexual-assault/850393/610 "2020-05-01T13:01:06Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > A political campaign analyst noted that Biden’s statement said (paraphrased): I encourage the media to request any documents held by the Library of Congress archives regarding complaints of sexual harassment against me by Tara Reade. No, in context, it’s saying “There are no personnel records at the University of Delaware; those are held in the National Archives. I encourage the National Archives to release any relevant records.” > [@](#): > > The former staffer has said she filed a complaint back in 1993. But she does not have a record of this alleged complaint. The papers from my Senate years that I donated to the University of Delaware do not contain personnel files. It is the practice of Senators to establish a library of personal papers that document their public record: speeches, policy proposals, positions taken, and the writing of bills. > > There is only one place a complaint of this kind could be – the National Archives. The National Archives is where the records are kept at what was then called the Office of Fair Employment Practices. I am requesting that the Secretary of the Senate ask the Archives to identify any record of the complaint she alleges she filed and make available to the press any such document. If there was ever any such complaint, the record will be there. In other words, stop making it a thing that you can’t see the U of D stuff because that’s not the right place anyway and the right place should make the stuff open. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2020, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-staffer-accuses-joe-biden-of-sexual-assault/850393/611 "2020-05-01T13:20:36Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > A political campaign analyst noted that Biden’s statement said (paraphrased): I encourage the media to request any documents held by the Library of Congress archives regarding complaints of sexual harassment against me by Tara Reade. > > She felt this was a suspiciously narrow statement which caught her immediate attention because it should have been more broad to include “any complaints of harassment”. Not sure if that’s just grist for the mill, or as she suggests, a carefully worded statement meant to be used later as a qualifier for things that may be found with respect to other allegations but not with respect to Tara Reade. If there were other allegations, I’m guessing the last thing he’d want to do is to point out places to sniff around for them. Biden’s silence on the issue is probably a major reason why the story won’t go away, so hopefully it will once he addresses the allegation. His silence is also a reason that I’ve speculated that something unflattering did, in fact, take place between Biden and Reade, but that it wasn’t outright sexual assault. As I’ve said, Biden could have still violated her (and others) in other ways. And then again, maybe he didn’t. In any case, Reade’s allegations don’t have a lot of weight behind them until others come out making similar claims. And unless that happens, we’ve got more important shit to worry about, frankly. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2020, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-staffer-accuses-joe-biden-of-sexual-assault/850393/612 "2020-05-01T14:07:26Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > No, in context, it’s saying “There are no personnel records at the University of Delaware; those are held in the National Archives. I encourage the National Archives to release any relevant records.” > > In other words, stop making it a thing that you can’t see the U of D stuff because that’s not the right place anyway and the right place should make the stuff open. This line in your post that was quoted (bolding mine): > [@](#): > > There is only one place a complaint of this kind could be – the National Archives. The National Archives is where the records are kept at what was then called the Office of Fair Employment Practices. I am requesting that the Secretary of the Senate ask the Archives to identify \*\*any record of the complaint she alleges she filed \*\*and make available to the press any such document. If there was ever any such complaint, the record will be there. …can be easily interpreted to mean that he’s only talking about the complaint filed by Reade, and no one else. As I said, maybe it’s grist for the mill, or maybe there is a reason it is so specifically phrased. Either way, this statement tells me that Biden has a very high level of confidence that there is nothing there to find that will support Reade’s allegations against him. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2020, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-staffer-accuses-joe-biden-of-sexual-assault/850393/613 "2020-05-01T15:13:06Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > …can be easily interpreted to mean that he’s only talking about the complaint filed by Reade, and no one else. Yes, we’re talking about allegations made by Reade versus a general fishing expedition. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2020, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-staffer-accuses-joe-biden-of-sexual-assault/850393/614 "2020-05-01T15:33:35Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > In the U.S. over 50 million women voted for Donald Trump. Some of your own statements might make them feel uncomfortable. > > While women outside the U.S. tend to have a more uniformly negative view of Donald Trump than those here, that could lead many to require a high standard of proof when someone says Trump’s apparent chief electoral opponent is a rapist. And you don’t have to be male to question reliance on hearsay evidence. > > It would be great if this board had more demographic diversity. But I would value ideological diversity more. And it might be that they would both go together. > > I am not a Trumpist. But treating them as if they have cooties does no one good. And I’m going out on a limb and say that millions of women would agree with me. If they were here. Which you say, if I understand correctly, they are not. Its closer to 30 million women. And they voted for him despite his pretty extreme record with sexual assaults. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2020, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-staffer-accuses-joe-biden-of-sexual-assault/850393/615 "2020-05-01T16:03:48Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > Here we go again. I’m sure it’s just a coincidence that this is coming out now as we head into the campaign in earnest. After his nomination and on the eve of the election, at least one more alleged victim will decide, just by coincidence of course, to go public with an accusation. > > Disinformation and character assassination are the weapons of choice for the “Ruthless Right”. When one realizes that there are an almost an endless number of reasons why people shouldn’t vote for their man, one realizes that it’s pretty much the only strategy they have. So when an accusation is made against Biden 27 years later at the last moment, it is an indication of a political hit job by the “Ruthless Right” but when an accusation is made 36 years later against Kavanaugh at the last moment, it is the sign of a brave woman disclosing a terrifying incident of attempted sexual assault? This thread exposes the #metoo movement for the naked partisanship that it is. Every one of the arguments Republicans used to question Ford’s story against Kavanaugh that we were told was terribly insulting to “survivors” of sexual assault is now being used against Tara Raede with an absolute straight face by Democrats. Franken was low hanging fruit. He was a kook anyways, there were pictures, and you knew that he would be replaced by another Dem. So he was the sacrificial lamb to throw on the fire. When it is someone important like Clinton or Biden, then the rules change. If Monica Lewinsky had not saved that dress then to this day she would be that ruthless staffer who lied about Clinton because he rejected her advances as he wanted to remain faithful to his loving wife. The lesson seems to be that if you want to make a sexual assault allegation, true or false, against a Republican you are a “brave survivor.” If you want to make a sexual assault allegation against a Democrat, you are a liar. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2020, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-staffer-accuses-joe-biden-of-sexual-assault/850393/616 "2020-05-01T16:12:20Z")
Taking all allegations seriously, regardless of political party, is still the morally correct move. It was the right move with Kavanaugh, and it’s the right move here with Biden. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2020, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-staffer-accuses-joe-biden-of-sexual-assault/850393/617 "2020-05-01T16:18:16Z")
From a totally objective standpoint - suppose we completely remove party labels (D) and ® from the equation, ignore the fact that a presidential election is underway, remove all politics from the equation - who has a stronger case, Ford against Kavanaugh or Reade against Biden? ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2020, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-staffer-accuses-joe-biden-of-sexual-assault/850393/618 "2020-05-01T16:50:53Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > From a totally objective standpoint - suppose we completely remove party labels (D) and (R) from the equation, ignore the fact that a presidential election is underway, remove all politics from the equation - who has a stronger case, Ford against Kavanaugh or Reade against Biden? There were multiple relatively similar allegations against Kavanaugh. But I don’t think this is the right way to approach this issue – every allegation must be taken seriously and considered on its own. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2020, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-staffer-accuses-joe-biden-of-sexual-assault/850393/619 "2020-05-01T17:05:29Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > From a totally objective standpoint - suppose we completely remove party labels (D) and (R) from the equation, ignore the fact that a presidential election is underway, remove all politics from the equation - who has a stronger case, Ford against Kavanaugh or Reade against Biden? Ford against Kavanaugh, of course. His accuser had told people, including her therapist, about it many years before. Also, his accuser went public as soon as he was on the national stage, whereas Biden has been on the national stage for years, including previous runs for president and vice president, and his accuser stayed mum. In fact, his accuser stayed mum until he was the presumptive candidate. I’m not saying Biden is innocent of this charge, just that the case against Kavanaugh was stronger. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2020, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-staffer-accuses-joe-biden-of-sexual-assault/850393/620 "2020-05-01T17:06:07Z")
How can anyone look at this and say “Gee, that’s terrible that one person accused him of sexual assault, but the paperwork complaint is missing and corroborating witnesses disagree. I think I’ll vote for the guy who bought a beauty pageant for teenagers so that he could barge in their dressing room, who sleeps with porn stars, and who brags about being a sexual predator.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-staffer-accuses-joe-biden-of-sexual-assault/850393.md?page=30) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-staffer-accuses-joe-biden-of-sexual-assault/850393.md?page=32)