Tara Reade, the woman who accused President Joe Biden of sexual misconduct, pushed back against recent remarks from White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki.
Reade’s response: Reade specifically took issue with Psaki’s claim that the allegations against Biden were “heavily litigated.”
“Ask Psaki: Did I miss the investigation and litigation? I sure did not miss the smears and attacks on my character during Joe Biden’s campaign as I came forward. Was it safe to come forward? I think not,” she wrote in response to a clip of Psaki’s remarks shared by NewsBusters’ Curtis Houck.
Reade also disagreed with Psaki’s statement that Biden “has been clear and outspoken about the importance of women being respected and having their voices heard and being allowed to tell their stories.”
“That bulls–t Psaki said yesterday really got under my skin — when she said it’s safe for women to come forward… I’m a poster child for how that’s untrue,” Reade said.
She told the New York Post that “[t]he term litigated is referring to legal action — none of that happened to the other seven women or myself.”
“That misleads the public,” she said.
Reade also told the publication that she is prepared to sue the president for defamation if he crosses a line.
“Defamation is one of the most difficult lawsuits to bring forward… and you could be responsible for fines and things like that,” Reade said. “If he were to say something that horrible, I’m sure I would consult an attorney and see if there was enough to go forward.”
What Psaki said: During Wednesday’s daily press briefing at the White House, Psaki claimed that the allegations against Biden have been “heavily litigated” during his presidential campaign.
“Well, first, I would say, the president has been clear and outspoken about the importance of women being respected and having their voices heard and being allowed to tell their stories and people treating them with respect. That has long been his policy, continues to be his policy,” Psaki said.
“That — those were — that was heavily litigated during the campaign. I understand you’re eager to come back to it, but I don’t have anything further other than to repeat that he has called for the governor to resign,” she added.
She made the remark after New York Post’s reporter Steven Nelson asked the press secretary if the accusations made against the president warrant an independent investigation like the one that New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) faced, given that Biden has called for Cuomo to resign.
Nelson pointed to claims that Biden skinny-dipped in front of female Secret Service agents and Reade’s claims that he sexually assaulted her back in 1993 while she worked as an aide in his Senate office.
Reade’s allegations: Reade first accused Biden of inappropriate touching in 2019, alongside other eight women. In 2020, she told podcast host Katie Halper that he allegedly sexually assaulted her as well.
She said the then-Delaware senator “penetrated [her] with his fingers” during their encounter at the Capitol.
Biden has denied Reade’s allegations but promised to be “more mindful and respectful of people’s personal space” in response to claims from women that said he made them feel uncomfortable.
“In my career, I’ve always tried to make a human connection, that’s my responsibility I think. I shake hands, I hug people, I grab men and women by the shoulders and say ‘you can do this.’ Whether they’re women, men, young, old, that’s the way I’ve always been, it’s the way I’ve tried to show I care about them, and I’m listening,” he said in 2019.
“Social norms have begun to change, they’ve shifted, and the boundaries of protecting personal space have been reset. And I get it. I get it. I hear what they’re saying, I understand. And I’ll be much more mindful, that’s my responsibility,” Biden added.
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