CNN Finally Reports on Tara Reade’s Sexual Assault Accusations Against Biden

RUSH TRANSCRIPT:

WHITFIELD: “Turning to the 2020 campaign and why a video from 1993 is part of the discussion. M.J. Lee joining us now. So M.J., tell us how this video could relate to a sexual assault allegation made against Joe Biden dating to that time when he was a senator and first of all, M.J., can you bring us up to speed on the allegation itself?”

LEE: “Well, Fred, a woman named Tara Reade was an aide for Joe Biden in the early 1990s. She recently alleged that Joe Biden had sexually assaulted her many years ago. And CNN interviewed Reid for the first time on the phone last night. CNN had previously reached out to her but last night was the first time she agreed to be interviewed on the record. And she says that some time in 1993 that she was asked to deliver a duffel bag to then senator Joe Biden and that inside of a corridor, somewhere inside the Capitol Hill complex, that Biden had her up against a wall, used his knee to spread open her legs and put his fingers inside her. Now the Biden campaign denies this allegation and we will discuss sort of their full response in just a few minutes, but the context that’s important here, too is that this woman, Tara Reade previously last year publicly said that Biden had touched her in ways that had made her feel uncomfortable. Touching her neck, touching her hair, so this new allegation of sexual assault is obviously new and so much more serious than what she said last year.”

WHITFIELD: “And is there corroboration of Reid’s story?”

LEE: “Well, what’s important is that several media outlets, including “The New York Times,” “The Washington Post,” they have done some extensive reporting on this allegation and story and “The New York Times” says that they spoke with a friend of Reid’s who told “The times” that Reid told her about this alleged assault at the time that it happened. They also spoke with a second friend who says that Reid told her in 2008 about Biden touching her inappropriately. “The Washington Post” also spoke with Tara Reid’s brother who initially told the post, quote, I heard that there was a gym bag incident and that he was inappropriate. I remember her telling me he said she was nothing to him. Now interestingly, several days later, according to “The post,” Tara Reid’s brother got back in touch with the paper and said he did remember her saying that Biden had put his hands under her clothes. Now I also just want to share that according to “The times,” they interviewed some two dozen people who worked with Biden in the early 1990s and none of them corroborated Tara Reid’s allegation. They also spoke with some other woman who had previously also said that they felt uncomfortable with some of the physical interactions that they had with Joe Biden, though very important to note none of them accused him of sexual assault. All of these women that “The times” reached out to said they didn’t have anything new that they wanted to add about the experiences they had, though several of them did tell “The times” they believe Tara Reid’s new allegation.”

WHITFIELD: “M.J., how does Reid’s mother factor into all of this?”

LEE: “Well, Tara Reid’s mother is a key figure in all of this because she is the one other person that Tara Reid says she told about the alleged sexual assault at the time. Now she died a few years ago so she is not somebody who can speak and corroborate any part of this story now. But what surfaced last night was a segment on CNN’s “Larry King live” from 1993 that appears to feature Tara Reid’s mother’s voice. Let’s watch that first and then we can talk about it.”

WHITFIELD: “Yes, hello. I’m wondering what a staffer would do besides go to the press in Washington? My daughter has just left there after working for a prominent senator and could not get through with her problems. And the only thing she could have done is go to the press, and she chose not to do it out of respect for him.”

LEE: “She had a story to tell but out of respect for the person she worked for, she didn’t tell it?”

WHITFIELD: “That’s true.”

LEE: “Now what Tara Reid told CNN last night on the phone is that this is, in fact, her mother’s voice that she feels certain about that. And that some time after the alleged assault in 1993, her mother did tell her that she had calls in to Larry King and Reid told CNN she was upset about that at the time because she didn’t want her mother doing anything of that kind. Now to be clear, this woman’s voice that we just heard, she only refers to problems related to her daughter and a prominent senator, but she doesn’t name any names. She certainly doesn’t mention any details. Doesn’t say anything about sexual harassment or sexual assault. So I think it’s just very important that we be clear about what this clip does and does not show. It does seem to suggest that Tara Reid did share something with her mother that she found troubling about her experience.”