May 8, 2020 - Politics & Policy

Tara Reade says she took Biden allegations to Warren and Harris campaigns

This image is a screenshot of Tara Reade in an interview with Megyn Kelly. — Tara Reade speaking to Megyn Kelly. Photo: Megyn Kelly

Tara Reade, a former Senate staffer who has accused Joe Biden of sexually assaulting her in 1993, claimed Friday in an interview with Megyn Kelly that she brought her allegation to the 2020 presidential campaigns of Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris.

Why it matters: This is new information from Reade, who has done multiple interviews to discuss her allegation against the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. But a senior advisor to Harris told Axios they have no record of contact from her.

Warren's office hasn’t immediately responded to request for comment.

What they're saying: "I tried to reach out to them, yes. ... Well, Kamala Harris is my representative, so I tried to reach out to her in particular for help, like I wanted to get a safe place to tell what happened. And I didn't get a response. So I kept, again, trying to get it out there," Reade said in the interview that aired Friday.

Warren on Monday called Biden's comments in response to Reade's allegation "credible and convincing."

“We have no record of any request," Sabrina Singh, a senior advisor to Harris, told Axios.
Former Vice President Joe Biden addressed the allegations in a statement on May 1: "They aren’t true. This never happened."

When Kelly questioned Reade about whether her motivation to come forward with the allegation was political, Reade said, "Everything is political. This is deeper than that."

"I’m not here to influence a national election and I don’t want to be."

Go deeper... Timeline: Tara Reade's sexual assault allegations against Joe Biden

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Tara Reade says she took Biden allegations to Warren and Harris campaigns

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