Joe Biden Accused Of Sexual Assault By Former Aid, Campaign Says It 'Absolutely Did Not Happen'

Tara Reade, a former aide to Joseph Biden, had accused the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee of sexual assault in 1993 when he was a Senator.

What Happened

Ms. Reade, who worked as a staff assistant for a brief stint in 1993, alleged in an interview with the Associated Press that the assault happened in the basement of a Capitol Hill office building. She claims he pushed her against the wall, "groped her and penetrated her with his fingers," MarketWatch reports.

“He was whispering to me and trying to kiss me at the same time, and he was saying, ‘Do you want to go somewhere else?’ I remember wanting to say stop, but I don’t know if I said it out loud or if I just thought it. I was kind of frozen up.”

She filed a police report in Washington on Thursday.

In 2019, Reade accused Biden of "inappropriate touching," but never filed an official complaint, the New York Times reported.

The charges come days after Biden's main Democratic rival in the presidential race, Bernie Sanders, suspended his campaign, making Biden the presumptive Democratic nominee.

Biden's Response

The Biden's communications director and campaign manager Kate Bedingfield called the allegations "untrue."  “What is clear about this claim: it is untrue. This absolutely did not happen.”

In her statement, she points out that the candidate “dedicated his public life to changing the culture and the laws around violence against women," and that he "firmly believes that women have a right to be heard — and heard respectfully.” 

*Additional reporting and editing by Catherine Ross.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Joe Biden's Instagram.