Tara Reade, the former staffer who accused President Biden of sexual assault, has fled to Russia and is seeking citizenship there, claiming she fears for her safety in the U.S.
Mr. Biden has denied Ms. Reade’s accusations, which stemmed from her work at his Senate office in 1993 and surfaced again during the 2020 campaign. She accused Mr. Biden of inappropriate touching and sexual assault by putting his hands up her skirt, though other Senate staffers were unable to corroborate the claims.
“It never, never happened. It didn’t. It never happened,” Mr. Biden told MSNBC in 2020.
Ms. Reade faded from the headlines, but she showed up Tuesday in Moscow and answered questions from Russian state media alongside Maria Butina, the Russian operative who befriended political figures in the U.S. and was convicted of acting as an unregistered foreign agent.
Ms. Reade, 59, told Sputnik News she left the U.S. because of death threats and stood by her accusations against Mr. Biden. She says she’s willing to testify under oath if Congress asks.
“I’m still kind of in a daze a bit, but I feel very good. I feel very surrounded by protection and safety,” Ms. Reade said. “I felt that while this election is gearing up and there’s so much at stake, I’m almost better off here and just being safe. My dream is to live in both places, but it may be that I only live in this place and that’s OK.”
It is unclear what will happen next for Ms. Reade in Russia, which is at odds with the U.S. and West over its invasion of Ukraine.
Complicating matters, the Biden administration is trying to free Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine, from Russian detention. Both are accused of espionage, a charge the State Department denies.
The White House on Wednesday didn’t say much about Ms. Reade’s move or her comments.
“I’d be loath to comment on the musings of a potential Russian citizen, that’s really up to her — for her to speak to,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Wednesday. “I can’t get inside her head and speak for her motivations and intentions.”
Mr. Kirby said any notion the U.S. government posed a risk to Ms. Reade is “absolutely false.”
Russia on May 19 said 500 Americans, including former President Barack Obama, late-night host Stephen Colbert and CNN reporters, are no longer welcome in Russia because of “the regularly anti-Russian sanctions imposed by the Joe Biden administration,” the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Ms. Reade took aim at the U.S. and the mainstream media in the West, saying roads in America are “falling apart” and inflation is up.
“Our economy is crashing and they continue to war-monger,” Ms. Reade said in comments aired by RT.
Ms. Reade said she would like to retain her U.S. citizenship, though added the Kremlin is “accommodating” to Americans who want to leave.
“As far as like going to another safe haven, I mean, there are many Americans here, and I don’t want to out a bunch of Americans, but there are people here that are coming to Russia,” Ms. Reade said.
Ms. Butina, who spent several months in a U.S. prison, said she would work to fast-track Ms. Reade’s request for citizenship.
“I do promise to be a good citizen,” Ms. Reade said, adding, “I just really so appreciate Maria and everyone who’s been giving me [protection] at a time when it’s been very difficult to know if I’m safe or not. I just didn’t want to walk home and walk into a cage or be killed, which [are] basically my two choices.”
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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