Biden says voters "shouldn't vote for me" if they believe allegations of sexual assault
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Former Vice President Joe Biden again denied allegations of sexual assault against a staff member in the 1990s on Thursday and offered frank advice to potential voters who were disturbed by the allegations.
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"I think they should vote their hearts out. And if you think about Tara Reade, you probably shouldn't be voting for me. I wouldn't be voting for me if I believed in Tara Reade."
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– Joe Biden
In an appearance on MSNBC's "The Last Word With Lawrence O’Donnell" Biden said Thursday that he did not remember the accuser Tara Reade, but that he deserved to be heard.
"When a woman claims that she has been harassed or abused, and this claim has changed as she progresses, but that she has been harassed or abused, it must to be taken seriously, "she said. "She should introduce herself, share her story. You have to take it seriously.
Reade claims that Biden sexually assaulted her in 1993 while she was working as an assistant in her Senate office. She stated that she had filed a harassment complaint at the time, but did not mention the alleged assault. Reade asked Biden to drop the presidential race.
Biden said that Reade's allegations "should be thoroughly investigated… What matters is the truth. Truth is what matters. And the truth of the matter is not. has nothing to do with it. She has a right to be heard, but then she has to be investigated, and the truth ultimately matters. And I give my word that it never happened. "
Biden said that Reade's story has changed over the years, but said he won't question his motivations.
"I don't want to question anything except to say that the truth is important. This is under review. It has been reviewed, "he said." They've been interviewing several of my employees throughout my career. It's totally, completely, completely irrelevant. And the idea that in one public place, in a corridor, he would attack a woman … Anyway, I promise you that it never happened.
Biden was joined on the show by Stacey Abrams, who is widely regarded as a possible career partner and who supported Biden.
"I believe in his denial" Abrams told Vice TV earlier this week. "If I thought this man had done this, then he couldn't be in this space."