Some leading Democratic women are throwing their support behind Joe Biden after an allegation of sexual assault that has come to light in recent months.
What We Know:
- Those leaders include prominent Democrats all rumored to be on Biden’s list for a running mate, including Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Sen. Kamala Harris of California, along with Stacey Abrams, the former minority leader in the Georgia state house who ran for governor in 2018.
- New York Sen. Kristin Gilibrand, one of the most vocal #MeToo supporters in the U.S. Senate said on a recent video call with reporters, “Vice President Biden has vehemently denied these allegations and I support Vice President Biden.”
- The founder of the #MeToo movement Tarana Burke said she was grappling with Tara Reade’s allegations about Biden that date back to the 1990s – but added the former vice president could still be “accountable and electable”.
- Reade first accused Biden, then a Delaware senator, of massaging her shoulders and neck making her feel uncomfortable when she worked in his office between 1992 and 1993, according to The Wall Street Journal. Last month, Reade made a second accusation, saying Biden cornered her in the Senate Office Building and touched her genitals, according to The New York Times.
- Family members also recalled hearing about the allegation’s decades ago. “In another recent interview, Reade’s brother, Collin Moulton, said she told him in 1993 that Biden had behaved inappropriately by touching her neck and shoulders.”
“Vice President Biden has dedicated his public life to changing the culture and the laws around violence against women. He authored and fought for the passage and reauthorization of the landmark Violence Against Women Act. He firmly believes that women have a right to be heard and heard respectfully.” – Kate Bedingfield, Biden’s Deputy Campaign Manager & Communications Director
- Abram’s told CNN, “ I know Joe Biden and I think he’s telling the truth and that this did not happen.” Longtime South Carolina Democrat and state legislator Gilda Cobb-Hunter told The Washington Post, “I don’t want to minimize what happened to her. “I’ve spent too many years doing this work to do that.”
- Burke shared her take on Twitter: “The inconvenient truth is that this story is impacting us differently because it hits at the heart of one of the most important elections of our lifetime. And I hate to disappoint you, but I don’t really have easy answers. What we have now is a zero-sum game where absolutely no one wins, in part because most people weighing in at the moment don’t actually care about transforming a culture of sexual violence.”
Does “believe all women” mean nothing anymore or are Tara Reade’s accusations baseless? Tell us in the comments which side of the conversation you fall on.
