House Speaker Nancy Pelosi defended Joe Biden after being asked about a sexual assault allegation made by a former Senate staffer against the presumptive Democratic nominee.
Asked during a Thursday morning appearance on CNN whether it was time for Biden to address Tara Reade’s allegation himself, Pelosi (D-Calif.) maintained her support for the former vice president.
“I have great sympathy for any women who bring forth an allegation. I’m a big, strong supporter of the MeToo movement. I think it’s been, it’s made a great contribution to our country, and I do support Joe Biden. I’m satisfied with how he has responded,” the highest-ranking House Democrat said.
Pressed further on whether Biden should personally respond, rather than just his campaign denying the allegation, Pelosi said that was a call best left to the candidate and his team.
“It’s a matter that he has to deal with, but I am impressed with the people who worked for him at the time saying they absolutely never heard one iota of information about this. Nobody ever brought forth a claim or had anybody else tell them about such a claim,” she said.
The California Democrat, who endorsed the Democratic candidate on Monday, went on to describe Biden as “the personification for hope and optimism in our country.”
Later Thursday morning, the Speaker was asked if Democrats were exhibiting a double standard by avoiding Biden’s allegation while putting so much emphasis on the allegations against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
Pelosi replied that, “I have complete respect for the woman. There is a lot of excitement around the idea that women will be heard and be listened to. There is also due process and the fact that Joe Biden is Joe Biden, there have been statements from his former employees who ran his offices and the rest that there was never any record of this, there was never any record. Nobody ever came forward to say something about it apart from the principle involved.”
She went on to praise Biden’s character and integrity.
Reade has claimed the presidential hopeful pinned her against a wall in 1993, reached under her skirt and assaulted her. The Biden campaign has strenuously denied the allegations.
Reade was working for Biden at the time as a staffer for the then-senator from Delaware.
Her allegation has gained more attention since last week, when video emerged of a woman, who Reade claims was her mother, calling in to CNN’s “Larry King Live” in August 1993 to voice concerns about “problems” her daughter suffered while working for a “prominent senator.”
Reade filed a police report in early April in Washington, DC, about the alleged assault, but cops said Saturday that the case had been “moved to an inactive status.”
Other former Senate staffers have cast doubt on Reade’s accusations, including Marianne Baker, Biden’s executive assistant for almost two decades, who said she never witnessed or heard about any inappropriate behavior.
Kate Bedingfield, Biden’s communications director, said in a statement on the allegations earlier this month: “Women have a right to tell their story, and reporters have an obligation to rigorously vet those claims. We encourage them to do so, because these accusations are false.”
Additional reporting by Bob Fredericks