Gillibrand addresses Reade allegations: 'I stand by Vice President Biden'The Hill, Apr 28, 2020
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) on Tuesday defended former Vice President Joe Biden after a reporter asked if she believed allegations from Tara Reade, a former aide who says the then-senator sexually assaulted her in a secluded part of Capitol Hill in 1993.
Gillibrand, who ran for president last year, said she stood by the presumptive Democratic nominee and supported him, noting he had denied the allegations.
“So when we say believe women, it’s for this explicit intention of making sure there’s space for all women to come forward to speak their truth, to be heard,†Gillibrand said during a conference call with reporters about the Postal Service.
“And in this allegation, that is what Tara Reade has done. She has come forward, she has spoken, and they have done an investigation in several outlets. Those investigations, Vice President Biden has called for himself. Vice President Biden has vehemently denied these allegations, and I support Vice President Biden.â€
The reporter followed up by asking if Democrats who were on the front lines for the hearing into Christine Blasey Ford’s allegations of sexual assault against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh see any “contradiction†in not speaking out on Reade’s behalf.
“No, and I stand by Vice President Biden,†Gillibrand said. “He has devoted his life to supporting women, and he has vehemently denied this allegation.â€
The Biden campaign has strenuously denied the allegations, although Biden has not personally addressed them.
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/495139-gillibrand-addresses-reade-allegations-i-stand-by-vice-president-biden
