S.e.x.u.a.l assault allegation, Biden under pressure to address
US presidential hopeful Joe Biden said Wednesday he has a proud history of campaigning against s.e.x.u.a.l violence, as he faces mounting pressure to respond to an assault allegation made by a former aide.
The presumptive Democratic nominee has been accused by Tara Reade of assaulting her in 1993, when she was a 29-year-old staff assistant in the office of Biden, then a US senator from Delaware.
Biden’s campaign has denied the claims, but he himself has not responded directly to the allegations by Reade, now 56.
However he touted his record of supporting abuse victims when asked a question about military prosecutions for felonies including r.a.p.e at a virtual town hall late Wednesday.
“As you know, I wrote and championed the Violence Against Women Act, transformed how this country gets justice and support to survivors and led the ‘It’s On Us’ campaign to fight s.e.x.u.a.l assault on campuses.
As VP, I fought to provide a special victims counsel for sexual assault cases in the military,” the 77-year-old said.