May 1, 2020

Mika Brzezinski confronts Joe Biden with the Tara Reade allegation and he says "unequivocally" that it "never happened."

UPDATED: The original post did not have the full interview, so I want to put this at the top:



ORIGINAL POST BEGINS HERE:



So there you have it — his flat denial. No follow up question, no grilling. Just the denial that is exactly what you would expect. No signs of lying jumped out at me. I do wonder if it's something that he could have forgotten. The flat denial implies that if it had happened he would have remembered. He's not asked if he remembers Tara Reade or knows what happened with her employment in his office. I'm not positive this is the entire clip.

Also: At the beginning of the clip, Biden coughs into his closed fist. Not a good look for the coronavirus era, but no reason not to assume that he washed his hands thoroughly afterwards.

ADDED: Based on this WaPo article, I see that the MSNBC clip above is not the full interview. And I see that Biden has issued a written statement, and, in that he "called on the National Archives to release any record of a complaint Reade says she filed." The statement asserts, "If there was ever any such complaint, the record will be there."

On "Morning Joe," according to WaPo, Brzezinski does proceed to grill Biden:
“I’m not going to question her motive,” Biden said of Reade, adding, “I don’t understand it.”

The presumptive nominee said he has never asked anyone to sign a nondisclosure agreement. And Biden said that “women have a right to be heard,” but that “in the end in every case, the truth is what matters.”

In a tense exchange late in the interview, Biden repeatedly resisted the idea of querying his Senate papers at the University of Delaware, saying that they do not contain personnel records.

“Why not just do a search for Tara Reade’s name?” Brzezinski asked.

“Who does that search?” Biden replied. Brzezinski suggested the university or a commission could conduct it. Biden then returned to his initial point — that any complaint would be contained in the archives, not his papers.
That sounds evasive. Yes, if she said she filed a complaint, so the complaint should be in the archive, let's do that search, but why not also search his papers, not to find the complaint, but to see if there is anything at all about her? A big part of her allegations is that she was mistreated as an employee in retaliation for her failure to respond to sexual demands on her. Maybe the papers would show that she had other problems as an employee that justified the consequences she experienced.
He said the papers contained “confidential conversations” with the president and heads of state and he did not want them to be made public while he was still an actively pursuing public office.

Asked what he would say to Reade directly if he could talk to her, Biden responded, “This never ever happened. I don’t know what is motivating her.”
That too is evasive. The question — as paraphrased in this article — isn't why do you think she's accusing you, but how would you speak with her. He immediately inserts his denial. Maybe that's what he'd say to her: This never ever happened. I don’t understand what is motivating you. ADDED: Watching the entire interview — the video at the top of the post — I see that Brzezinski did ask Biden what he thought was motivating Reade.

AND: Let's read Joe Biden's written statement. It begins with 4 paragraphs expressing pride in his role introducing the Violence Against Women Act 25 years ago. He proceeds to talk about his role, as Vice President, starting the “It’s on Us” campaign, addressing college men and telling them that "they had a responsibility to speak out" — "Silence is complicity." He considers himself "a voice, an advocate, and a leader for the change in culture that has begun but is nowhere near finished." And:

So I want to address allegations by a former staffer that I engaged in misconduct 27 years ago.

They aren’t true. This never happened.

While the details of these allegations of sexual harassment and sexual assault are complicated, two things are not complicated. One is that women deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, and when they step forward they should be heard, not silenced. The second is that their stories should be subject to appropriate inquiry and scrutiny.
The attack on Reade's credibility is based on "inconsistences":
Responsible news organizations should examine and evaluate the full and growing record of inconsistencies in her story, which has changed repeatedly in both small and big ways.

But this much bears emphasizing.

She has said she raised some of these issues with her supervisor and senior staffers from my office at the time. They – both men and a woman – have said, unequivocally, that she never came to them and complained or raised issues. News organizations that have talked with literally dozens of former staffers have not found one – not one – who corroborated her allegations in any way. Indeed, many of them spoke to the culture of an office that would not have tolerated harassment in any way – as indeed I would not have.

There is a clear, critical part of this story that can be verified. The former staffer has said she filed a complaint back in 1993. But she does not have a record of this alleged complaint. The papers from my Senate years that I donated to the University of Delaware do not contain personnel files. It is the practice of Senators to establish a library of personal papers that document their public record: speeches, policy proposals, positions taken, and the writing of bills.

There is only one place a complaint of this kind could be – the National Archives. The National Archives is where the records are kept at what was then called the Office of Fair Employment Practices. I am requesting that the Secretary of the Senate ask the Archives to identify any record of the complaint she alleges she filed and make available to the press any such document. If there was ever any such complaint, the record will be there.
The rest of the statement is general. He says he's  "accountable." He veers into an attack on Trump:
We have lived long enough with a President who doesn’t think he is accountable to anyone, and takes responsibility for nothing. That’s not me....

193 comments:

John henry said...

Given his apparent mental condition, I think it is entirely possible that he honestly does not remember it.

In the immortal words of George Costanza "It's not a lie if you believe it."

So, he may be telling the truth, as he remembers it. Doesn't mean anything about whether it happened or not.

John Henry

exhelodrvr1 said...

No follow-up questions about his comments on Kavanaugh, etc.

wild chicken said...

Old guys always cough into the fist. No idea what that's supposed to accomplish.

But a flat denial is good. I wonder if Reade was recruited and by whom.

Ralph L said...

Well, that's it then.
He's got my votes.

lgv said...

There, it's official. It never happened. Scopes, et. al. will now mark the claim as false. No further inquiry will be made by the mainstream media.

Just like Brett Kavanaugh.

Mike Sylwester said...

The lack of follow-up questions of Biden by journalists is why we need televised Senate hearings.

John henry said...

What is even more disturbing, and what he should have been asked about, was his choice of Chris Dodd to be in charge of selecting his VP.

Now there is a man with serious sexual problems. Search "waitress sandwhich".

He and that other defender of women's dignity, St Teddy the Lesser, famously made a waitress sandwhich in a well known DC restaurant. There were witnesses and Dodd has confirmed that it happened.

But they were both snot-licking, gutter-rolling, drunk and both Demmies. So no foul.

The optics of Biden picking, or allowing someone to pick for him, someone like Dodd are horrible. It's almost like he is sticking his thumb in our eye and telling us to go fuck ourselves.

John Henry

narciso said...

Yep and lori klausitis died accidently the disbarred coroner said so.

rehajm said...

If you Clinton-parse the official Biden statement there's plenty of wiggle room- looking for records in different places, pronoun troubles. Classic...

The absence to #MeToo is conspicuous. No rapture at the opinions of leftie female celebrities believing the accuser...

If it is just a political tactic there's more than a twinge of political gratification for making them live up to their own set of rules even though the Believe all Women Chorus has been dispersed...

After Blasey Ford are you inclined to be more skeptical of the accuser? I think I am. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? I'm not sure...

iowan2 said...

Agreeing to release his records from the collage (Delaware) he donated them to will happen within the hour, right Joe?

Remember when Kavanaugh's calendar was made public? Yea, that will happen with Biden. There's nothing to see here, why look?

Howard said...

He's definitely lying

A telltale sign of lying is that a person will automatically put their hands over their mouth when they don't want to deal with an issue or answer a question," says Glass. "When adults put their hands over their lips, it means they aren't revealing everything, and they just don't want to tell the truth," she says.

Fernandinande said...

Mika Brzezinski confronts

She opened with an apology, which is not confrontational.

But I'm glad this issue is all settled and that there's no reason for anyone to ever mention it again.

rehajm said...

Mika was good at faking uncomfortableness with finger fucking.

RMc said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Lincolntf said...

Oh for crying out loud, he had a month or more to come up with his "unequivocal denial", and people are actually falling for it? Dolts.

Shane said...

"No reason"?
Look at the guy, there is every reason to believe he forgot he coughed into his hand as soon as it happened. And every reason to expect Jill had him practice in front of her over 100 times since the "interview" was telegraohed last night: "It didn't happened."

Sebastian said...

"He's not asked if he remembers Tara Reade"

The again, what would happen if he is asked about remembering other things--what salients events of the recent past does he actually remember?

But he was asked about a record search, and apparently did not answer.

RMc said...

no reason not to assume that he washed his hands thoroughly afterwards

Look for the Dems to thoroughly wash their hands of Biden.

Bob Boyd said...

No signs of lying jumped out at me.

When Mika begins describing the charge and asking him about it, Biden seems ready for this. He steadies his gaze, looks into the camera unblinking...until he starts saying it didn't happen, then there is a lot of blinking. When he finishes speaking, the blinking stops and the steady gaze returns.
Not sure that means he's lying, but it jumped out at me.
I also got the strong impression they went over this in advance with Biden and he knew exactly how this would go and he practiced his answer.

David Begley said...

Mika kept repeating questions. Pathetic. Biden said he didn’t remember Tara. He doesn’t remember last week.

stevew said...

That's exactly what he had to do.

I have no idea if he is lying, but good and repeat liars are by definition good at hiding the fact they are lying. It is possible he's forgotten, given the ribald atmosphere and nature of those folks back then.

JohnAnnArbor said...

Friendly show for him. No doubt he had questions sent to him ahead of time, to avoid surprises. Not just on this issue but on the others as well.

David Begley said...

Case closed. Just like Kavanaugh’s case was closed after his detailed denial, evidence and testimony.

Heartless Aztec said...

Finally washing his hands after penetrating Ms Reade with them. Literally and figurtivly.

I'm Full of Soup said...

At times, Biden sounded so damn confused....wondering "why anyone [who would it be?] would want to search Delaware archives when I just told you there are no personnel records there". I'm paraphrasing. It showed he is still arrogant and retarded but now he is also senile.

wendybar said...

Did you really think the Biden Loving Bzezinski duo would ever really do an interview with the man they hold so high in esteem??? Get over your infatuation with Propaganda Media. Now imagine their interview if this were Brett Kavenaugh. Enough said.

Unknown said...

I don’t “know” anything, and am very skeptical of accusations from long ago, even if they hurt people I can’t stand. Coal Miner Joe has run for office many times since this incident, why are these accusations only surfacing now? My default belief is that this a Democratic operation to remove Slow Joe. I could be wrong, but that makes the most sense to me.

Shane said...

Holy shit! Instapundit has more excerpts and the not a "gotcha" question of why not allow Univ of DE to search just the name "Tara Reade" leaves Biden absolutely and literally dumbfounded.

There is no way he will be permitted to be the nominee.

John henry said...

Mika says that Joe has been accused of "sexual assault". She then goes on to describe how Joe allegedly penetrated Tara Reade's vagina with his finger.

Here is the definition of "rape" from the US DOJ:

“The penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim.”

https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/blog/updated-definition-rape

So even in asking the question, even though she did graphically describe the allegation, Mika does not use the appropriate word which is "rape".

Sexual assault is such a meaningless word these days. It can mean something as innocuous as asking a woman to lunch or complimenting her appearance. Or it can mean something more serious.

Joe RAPED this woman (allegedly). We need to call a spade a spade.

John Henry

David Begley said...

It was funny. Mika asked a convoluted and somewhat confusing question. Joe didn’t understand that computers can run word searches through digital records.

Howard said...

Please don't get my hopes up, Shane

Howard said...

Blinking is another huge tell if you believe the former FBI agent YouTube video on how to spot someone lying

John henry said...

We probably need an LBJ finger fucking joke in this thread.

But I will not be the one to debase these comments by low humor.

John Henry

David Begley said...

His Chief of Staff and Senate Office never made a written record of Tata’s case.

PubliusFlavius said...

So Mika B heads the Bullshit dispersion machine.

Nancy talking due process is rofl.

Gillibrand tap dancing around her big issue.

That actress saying i hear LMAO.

Hypocritical to the extreme partisan tomfoolery on all fronts.

Howard said...

A simple dittle isn't sex. Poor girl was hysterical and he was just trying to calm her.

John henry said...

no reason not to assume that he washed his hands thoroughly afterwards

After coughing or after finger fucking (Rape)?

John Henry

Bob Boyd said...

Joe didn't do the...the ..the you know, the thing.

robother said...

Media conservatives like Instapundit have promoted the meme that we should, in Aulinsky's words "Make the enemy live up to its own book of rules." Thus, if Believe all Women is the rule for Kavanaugh, it should be applied to Biden.

But of course, radicals acknowledge no rules apply to them other than the "rule" of acquiring power. Aulinsky's real point here is that people who hold themselves accountable to law, whether religious or secular can be manipulated by radicals (who are free of any such scruples or guilt). Hypocrisy is the price radicals pay to keep playing the straights.

Sally327 said...

He's a man. If his lips are moving, he's lying. When it comes to women and sex and getting his freak on.

Jersey Fled said...

I never had sexual relations with that woman - Miss Lewinsky.

Howard said...

Hypocrisy is the grease of human intercourse

iowan2 said...

Ganderson @ 7:59

I'm great with that. #metoo was stupid at its inception and only degraded from that time. I do think Democrats should live with the conviction by accusation for at least a full decade.

Which famous Democrat stated, 'it's the seriousness of the charges, not the truth that inform our actions.'

rhhardin said...

There's the crazy woman effect, and there's the she sent no negative signals effect, before you get to Biden having done anything wrong.

The MeToo insanity makes the latter cause for condemnation, so would put Biden having to argue (correctly) that it's not wrong, which he is not going to win against the mobs on the right and the left both, even though it's the mob that's insane at the moment.

So if that's what happened, denying it is the best bet. If it's just crazy women, then it's in addition true.

Tom said...

Man, imagine being asked THE question on which your entire career depends by a speaker in your ear and while looking into a camera. Now imagine you’re already a tad mentally impaired. Finally, you know you’ve touched women inappropriately and swam naked in front of your female secret service agents. There’s no way to look natural.

He’s now anchored his response. Now we’ll see what facts come out that challenge his response.

His primary claim is there’s no complaint. He asked the secretary of the senate to search the national archives for a complaint but there is no compliant so why do the search?

Now, if I had been the reporter, I’d have asked him if he’s right handed or left handed before I asked him any other questions.

I’d have also asked him why the 1995 congressional accountability act had to be passed and if there was sexual harassment and assault claims made in the Senate in the early 1990s.

Leland said...

Yes!! And just like that, #MeToo is no longer a thing and the efforts to remove Biden before the convention are over. Looks like another 4 more years of Trump.

Freder Frederson said...

How can this be good for Trump? You are simultaneously pushing the narrative that Ms. Reade should be believed but the 20 odd similar complaints against Trump (including an accusation of rape by Ivana) are all bullshit.

For most sane people, this is hypocrisy to the extreme.

Be like a tree said...

A semi-panicked look in the eyes always seems to accompany any endorsement of Joe as the democratic candidate. Tara Reade seems to be the least of his problems.

Howard said...

I of course have not read any of the articles nor did I listen to the interview or watch.

So essentially Joe Biden is accused of hitting a triple? Someone must have told him he was born on third base

Ralph L said...

Biden said he didn’t remember Tara

"I had a big staff...."

MayBee said...

Don't we now go on to speculate whether he was drunk and if he perhaps has a drinking problem?

Sebastian said...

"he did not want them to be made public while he was still an actively pursuing public office"

So he also objects to Dem deep-staters leaking Trump's conversations while he is actually in office?

iowan2 said...

Freder has so many lies in the air he can't keep track of them all.

Howard said...

Biden was made for the nomination when Obama endorsed him turn of them Hillary applied the cherry on top of his button. maybe that's what Tara Reid was upset about he focused on the cherry and not the button

MayBee said...

How luxurious to have your conversations with heads of states sealed away in a university library, rather than blasted all over by some low-level nsc staffer friend?

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

What a cluster f.

Biden was about finished during the primary - then bam - he's installed.
Now they want to de-install him.

Hillary plots with zero delegates.


rhhardin said...

Annita Hill comes to mind as possibly exactly the same thing. Her own witness Judge Susan Hoerchner said that she talked to Anita on the phone at the time and even her expression of sympathy didn't seem to help, so bad was the offense.

But sympathy always works. The only time it doesn't help is when the victim is making it up. Her focus in that case is not on combatting the experience but on preserving it.

Hoerchner
https://www.c-span.org/video/?21996-1/thomas-hearing-day-3-part-1

Howard said...

This doesn't move the needle either way. Trump's success in November is completely dependent on how they pandemic economic re-engagement goes and if there is a significant second wave. If we avoid a haircut in the late summer early fall then Trump is in like Flynn. Otherwise we get Jerry Mahoney

I Callahan said...

Not sure I'd call this a "confrontation". And "softball" may not be strong enough to describe it either.

MikeR said...

Huh - that's what Kavanaugh said. It's a sure sign of guilt!

Browndog said...

I'm in the camp with those that say this Tara Reade saga is the least important issue in the coming election.

I hate to be one of those that comment on a topic just to say "I don't care about this topic, not one bit".

It seems some in MAGA are doing exactly what they loath about liberals. You score no points for pointing out liberal hypocrisy, or the "two rules" syndrome.

She didn't file a police report, and didn't go public until an election campaign was well under way.

That is not to say she isn't credible. It is to say it appears political.

Thus ends my one and only comment on this topic.

Shouting Thomas said...

Democrats suddenly discover due process. A complete flip-flop for Biden.

The problem here is feminism. Althouse is a Prohibitionist. She wants people to be better than they are.

People enter politics, the arts, in fact all the public arenas, for fame, fortune and sex. They will continue to do so. Naifs who enter expecting something else need to wise up ASAP. That’s their problem, not a problem of public policy.

As with all other Prohibitionist movements, the cost of enforcing the prohibition quickly exponentially exceeds any possible gain.

This is what has happened with the feminist sexual harassment hysteria. It’s nothing but a vicious political weapon and will never be anything else. The behavior of those seeking fame, fortune and sex will remain the same because... really... those people don’t observe any rules.

rhhardin said...

Swimming naked in front of your female secret service agents isn't a perversion unless he had an erection. It's just liking to swim naked and if you want to be a secret service agent then get over it. What, they're supposed to be shocked by the sight of a penis? Feminine modesty or feminism, take your choice of one.

MayBee said...

I don't know who to believe and we will never know.

The thing I wonder: is this the end of #BellieveAllWomen? The end of sexual assault allegations as a political tool? Or will everyone have short memories- or worse yet, pretend Biden was exonerated- and continue this charade?

Bay Area Guy said...

22 years ago:

"But I want to say one thing to the American people. I want you to listen to me. I'm going to say this again: I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky. I never told anybody to lie. Not a single time. Never. These allegations are false. And I need to go back to work for the American people." - President Clinton

Today:

"But I want to say one thing to the American viewers of MSNBC. I want you to listen to me, Jack. I'm going to say this again: I did not have gropey sexual relations with that woman -- Miss Tara Reade. I never told anyone to sniff her hair. Not a single time. Never. These allegations are false. And I need to stumble back onto the campaign trail to further confuse the American people." Presidential Candidate Slow Joe Biden

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

I saw Biden say, “well it needs to be investigated but...” then his denial. It will come up again. Follow up should include:
When did you first hear of her complaint?
What were the dates of her employment with your office?
Was she terminated on or about August 6, 1993?
Why was she fired on that date?
Did she file a complaint with your senate office?
Were you ever alone with Ms. Reade in public or in private?
Are you aware of any other complaints like this made against you?

Howard said...

The hashtag me-too ambush is asymmetrical in favor of Democrats. Realpolitik

MayBee said...

Browndog said...
I'm in the camp with those that say this Tara Reade saga is the least important issue in the coming election.


I only think it's important because the tactic of hauling out sexual assault allegations to bring down politicians really has to end. And the movement to #BelieveAllWomen- especially on college campuses and with laws like the affirmative consent laws in California- really is horrible for the country. Obama and Biden really pushed for the end of due process in the name of Title IX, and that can start again at any time.

Meade said...

Where's Hunter? Who's Tara? What did you and Barack know about Crossfire Hurricane? And when did you know it?

Crimso said...

'He said the papers contained “confidential conversations” with the president and heads of state and he did not want them to be made public while he was still an actively pursuing public office.'

Unless he was discussing Tara Reade with them, it won't be a problem.

Big Mike said...

No signs of lying jumped out at me.

Of course not.

Mr. O. Possum said...

Give it a bit more time, and a few more women will come forward.

Which is bad news for Trump, because he surely must be itching to run against a tired, frail Biden.

An aggressive, young Democrat opponent is the last thing he needs.

wendybar said...

Browndog said:
It seems some in MAGA are doing exactly what they loath about liberals. You score no points for pointing out liberal hypocrisy, or the "two rules" syndrome.

That's right. That's EXACTLY what we are doing....holding them to the same standards they hold us to... Fair is fair, right???

Bay Area Guy said...

One of two choices:

1. Tara Reade is a disgraceful liar trying to frame Vice-President Biden on a false sexual assault which would likely end his presidential hopes.

(This does happen sometimes in the heat of politics, but usually it involves a team of lawyers, politicians, tv cameras and orchestrated strategy by a victim in Party A, trying to nail a target in Party B.)

or

2. Biden did in fact grab her by the pussy and she still feels pain and embarrassment about it.

Maillard Reactionary said...

Well, that settles it, I guess. Time to move on to the adventure ahead!

chuck said...

I doubt Biden remembers the incident, it is unlikely to have been anything exceptional in his experience.

rehajm said...

News organizations that have talked with literally dozens of former staffers have not found one – not one – who corroborated her allegations in any way

What about two? Three?

I Callahan said...

You score no points for pointing out liberal hypocrisy, or the "two rules" syndrome.

If we don't make the left live by the rules they make for us, then they flat-out win every time. I'm sorry, Browndog, but this is why the left has won every major battle in the country's history since Woodrow Wilson - the right is always too quick to capitulate when the battle gets hard.

John henry said...

Blogger Unknown said...

An aggressive, young Democrat opponent is the last thing he needs.

Who you got in mind?

There just doesn't seem to be anyone on the horizon without at least as much baggage as Joey Fingers.

John Henry

Shouting Thomas said...

Most men I've known don't expect fairness, and they generally expect the powers that be to screw them over, and to have no recourse.

This is one of the ways in which men are far superior to women.

I've been fucked over many times, legally and illegally. I take that as a matter of course and strategize my way around it. Complaining, bringing lawsuits, etc. ... I don't want to waste my time with that shit.

I assume that my journey thru this life, and my struggle for success, will be met with all sorts of opposition, fair and unfair.

Feminism is a childish entitlement ideology. If women want to live like men, let them learn to take shit the way men do.

Char Char Binks, Esq. said...

It’s a good thing we have a 911 phone system for reporting crimes now. The only way to report a rape in 1993 was for the mother of the victim to call Larry King.

Also, anyone who can be credibly accused of raping a woman should stay out of politics. Leave it to women and gays.

Shouting Thomas said...

I've been grabbed by the dick by unattractive women.

Why this would be some sort of lifetime trauma eludes me.

It was just stupid shit that I let go.

Dave Begley said...

Mika didn't ask the obvious question: You've sniffed the hair of women, gotten handsy with them and made them feel uncomfortable. There are news reports that you swam naked in front of female Secret Service agents. There is a PATTERN there. So, why should we not believe Tara. She is, after all, a very attractive woman.

tds said...

"It never happened" is not a denial because of depending on common understanding of the word 'it'.

"None of my fingers has ever been inside Tara Reade" is a denial. It's specific, no doubt at all about what is being denied.

Dave Begley said...

Good question by Meade that Joe didn't ask. "The newly released FBI notes referred to the White House. You had lunch weekly with Obama. Did Obama order the FBI and CIA to spy on Trump and then derail his presidency?"

Jim Gust said...

Biden will be propped up through the convention, a VP will be named, and in October Biden will have to withdraw for health reasons and the VP will run in November against Trump. The VP most likely will be someone who was never in the primaries.

Remember Sargent Shriver?

Be like a tree said...

Republicans should say, "Like CBF's accusations against Kavanaugh, there appears to be no credible evidence. Let the voters decide."

Johnathan Birks said...

Whether it happened is almost beside the point. Which is sad if you believe in such quaint notions as due process. But the hypocrisy is staggering. Kavanaugh got no presumption of innocense from the media. Gropey Joe deserves no better.

Democrats made the rules. It would be nice if they played by them for once.

BUMBLE BEE said...

My name is Joe Biden and I forgot the message.

Lincolntf said...

Reade's mother calling the Larry King show is very damning. As is the fact that Reade is a lifelong Left-winger who has been quoted saying that she would never vote for any Republican.

Amexpat said...

No follow-up questions about his comments on Kavanaugh, etc.
If you watch the whole interview you'll see that she grills him on that point, repeatedly pointing out that he, Pelosi and Abrams said that there should be presumption that Ford was telling the truth. His reply in essence was that the presumption in Reade's favor was lost due to the facts in his case.

All in all, I think Biden did reasonable well given the difficulty of his position. And I'm not a Biden fan.

Browndog said...

the right is always too quick to capitulate when the battle gets hard.

It's not capitulation. It's just ineffective and pointless. As you point out, it changes nothing.

Marxism marches on unabated no matter what, and makes little difference in who you elect.

Donald Trump spent 3 years with his hands tied for something Hillary did (colluding with the Russians), then was impeached for something Biden did (Ukrainian interference).

Soldier on, but I'm no longer interested in playing by the rules liberals force everyone else to play by. I'm in favor of fighting just as dirty as they are.

War.

Darrell said...

This is a big fucking deal.

gspencer said...


Gravely asked, “Joe, is this true?”

Gravely answered, “No, it is not.”

MSM, “The matter is now settled.”

Bob Boyd said...

The left wing media can no longer just ignore this story. Some left wing opinion makers, many of them women, are having to ask themselves if their willing to do this again for the Party.
A lot of younger voters are not going to buy it this time, not going to just give Joe a pass and throw a woman who may have been raped, under the bus. They want answers. The story is growing now and it's Dem voters and Dem women's advocates that are driving the story, not the opposition party.
Biden's biggest fear may be, if Tara Reade starts getting treated with respect in the media, other women will be emboldened to come forward. If that happens...bigga problem for Joe.

Kevin said...

Kavanaugh was asked whether he ever got black-out drunk and might not remember assaulting Blasey Ford.

Why wasn't Biden asked whether he had become senile and might not remember assaulting Reade?

wendybar said...

Unknown said...
Republicans should say, "Like CBF's accusations against Kavanaugh, there appears to be no credible evidence. Let the voters decide."

We are saying that, and want that, but we also want the media to report on this....just like they did when it was Kavenaugh. Where is the call for a Congressional trial? Why isn't this being treated the same? Biden could become the most powerful man in the country, and the left suddenly doesn't care how he treats women?? We have always advocated for due process....the other side, not so much...until now.

Kevin said...

Shorter Biden: Given the extensive media delay my people have assured me there's nothing in the National Archives, but they haven't looked into the files at the University of Delaware.

Darrell said...

Biden is as innocent as the FBI. Why else would skirts and dresses be designed THAT way?

MayBee said...

I want to go out on a limb and say there is no way The National Archives has the sexual harassment claims made against US Senators.

James Graham said...

Should I now withdraw my suggestion that he ought henceforth be known as "Fingers" Biden?

Kevin said...

Due process requires an investigation, witnesses, testimony under oath.

Due process is not what Biden wants.

It would kill his campaign.

Bob Boyd said...

Biden swears he wasn't drunk when he didn't do it.

Matt Sablan said...

From the Tweets captured at Instapundit:

"Do you regret what you said during the Kavanaugh hearing?"

Joe Biden: "What I said during the Kavanaugh hearings was that she had a right to be heard. The fact that she came forward, the presumption would be that she was telling the truth unless she wasn't telling the truth."

Such a weak response.

Kevin said...

Gravely asked, “Joe, is this true?”

Gravely answered, “No, it is not.”


Biden Campaign: MSNBC has looked into the matter and found nothing!

Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...

he said 'intercourse' again.

...The Telltale Heart is beating louder

Ken B said...

Althouse is right about his papers. The demands should continue.
As I have been saying, this time there is solid evidence one way or the other: either there’s a record or there isn’t. If there is no complaint it’s over.

MayBee said...

This is what the elevator protestor said to Jeff Flake quite famously and to great media praise:

""I was sexually assaulted and nobody believed me," the other woman, Maria Gallagher, told Flake. "I didn't tell anyone and you're telling all women that they don't matter, that they should just stay quiet because if they tell you what happened to them you are going to ignore them. That's what happened to me, and that's what you are telling all women in America, that they don't matter. They should just keep it to themselves because if they have told the truth you're just going to help that man to power anyway." "

Matt Sablan said...

"News organizations that have talked with literally dozens of former staffers have not found one – not one – who corroborated her allegations in any way"

-- How'd that work out for Kavanaugh? Fair is fair; one set of rules.

Kevin said...

Joe Biden says he didn't assault Tara Reade.

Joe Biden also says 600,000 Americans have died from Coronavirus.

Browndog said...

I guess now would be a good time to remind everyone that well over a hundred claims against members of Congress paid by U.S. taxpayers are still under seal.

Remember John Conyers?

RNB said...

The ability to lie convincingly is the last thing to go in a politician.

Michael The Magnificent said...

Way back during Ken Starr's investigation of Clinton, not knowing if any of the allegations being leveled against him were true or false, I made it a point to record and watch the Sunday morning political shows. I had two VCRs at the time, programmed so I could catch them all, even those that overlapped in time.

This had the benefit of being able to watch, listen, pause, rewind.

Biden, whom I knew nothing of before this point, was a frequent guest. His statements were always made with the utmost confidence that what he was stating was the absolute truth, and I have to admit his performances were very convincing.

That is, until I'd hear him say something I suspected or already knew to be wrong. I could pause the tape, search the internet, read news articles, and find that Biden had just blatantly and convincingly told an un-truth, and done it with absolute confidence.

This video of him speaking is full of blatant lies, but you can see his style - absolute and complete confidence in what he is saying, even though he is fully aware that most of it is complete bullshit.

So it means nothing to me that he didn't appear to be lying in his interview with Mika. I wouldn't expect him to show any signs of lying.

MayBee said...

: Let's read Joe Biden's written statement. It begins with 4 paragraphs expressing pride in his role introducing the Violence Against Women Act 25 years ago

And Mark Foley introduced legislation to make it a crime to text suggestive messages to people under 18.

mccullough said...

Based on the statements from Reade and Biden, every college would expel Sleepy Joe for sexual assault.

GingerBeer said...

I'm old enough to remember when inconsistencies in statements by the survivor and full-throated denials by the rapist were concrete proof the assault occurred. When will Sen. Hirono straighten this out for us?

MayBee said...

Browndog said...
I guess now would be a good time to remind everyone that well over a hundred claims against members of Congress paid by U.S. taxpayers are still under seal.

Remember John Conyers?


That's why I can't believe the claims would be sitting around in the National Archives.

Howard said...

With all the comparison to Brett Preppy Kavanaugh, it ended up working out for him in the end. Joe should follow his example and have a spit flecking anger filled crying jag.

MayBee said...

OK:
Nicole Einbinder
@NicoleEinbinder
·
43m
Joe Biden said that Tara Reade's complaint could only be at the National Archives, at what was then called the Office of Fair Employment Practices. But, a National Archives spokesperson told me that they do not hold records from that office.

Oso Negro said...

So, from that written statement I presume the National Archives have been safely scrubbed.

Lurker21 said...

Joe Biden is a guy who "remembers" a lot of things happening that didn't happen. He always "remembered" his life the way he wanted it to be. Add to that 50 years in politics and cognitive decline and he probably doesn't "remember" assaulting anybody.

Politicians are expected to have a lot of buoyancy and resilience. They are expected to be able to get over mistakes, gaffes, and blunders, like nothing happened. You need to be capable of a lot of denial to do that. If you're not, you don't last long in politics. Scrupulously honest people don't rise in politics.

BarrySanders20 said...

Ken B said...
Althouse is right about his papers. The demands should continue.
As I have been saying, this time there is solid evidence one way or the other: either there’s a record or there isn’t. If there is no complaint it’s over.

I do not accept the assertion that "it must be in the archives or it did not happen." Joe and his campaign seem too eager to give only one option, as if they know that the document wont be found there. The staffers or someone else with access may have tossed it, immediately or after Reade was fired, or filed it in some other place.

No document in the archives means just that - there is no record of a complaint at the archives. It does not prove anything else. Does not prove she made up her story, and does not prove she never delivered a written complaint. It certainly makes proving her story harder if nobody can find the complaint she says she made, but as we know from Kavanaugh, written proof is not required for days-long television Senate hearings over allegations from 27 years ago.


Skeptical Voter said...

Joe put his finger in the political wind with that denial. But then his fingers, paws, mitts, hands and nose have been a lot of places.

madAsHell said...

Don’t let the door hit ya where the good Lord split ya!

Birkel said...

COUGHING:

If you're at home with the same people for weeks on end, and none of them are sick, what difference does how you cough make? Is it just Virus Theater?

Or do we think the virus is a fucking ninja that sneaks in at night and infects people without contact of any kind?
Or are we down to "it magics itself into existence" or some such bull shit?

Howard said...

Was Mika wearing a snug scoop neck white T-shirt?

gilbar said...

"it NEVER Happened!"
"It was 27 years Ago! I don't remember AT ALL!"

Which one of those two are true? If you don't remember, HOW DO YOU KNOW YOU DIDN'T DO IT?
Isn't that what we said with Brett Kavanaugh? That him not remembering MEANT he blacked out?
and that THAT meant He DID DO IT?

Francisco D said...

Howard said... So essentially Joe Biden is accused of hitting a triple? Someone must have told him he was born on third base

Nice reference to Ann Richards on GHW Bush.

Did Joe sniff his finger afterwards?

Inquiring minds want to know.

Birches said...

That statement could be read as another version of Harvey Weinstein's statement he issued after Ronan Farrows expose. Not saying it is, but it's hard to be accused of something like this. Will no one publicly apologize for Kavanaugh?

Kai Akker said...

I don't think this incident is important in any way other than it shows the extreme manifestation of liberal hypocrisy. There are all sorts of women around politicians, and men with power are tempted to use it in various ways all the time. This is one of the more innocuous ways, in my opinion. That Pelosi, Milano et al are making excuses or simply endorsing the guy shows how bankrupt they are intellectually and ethically. But this is not the reason Joe Biden is a poor candidate. There are a lot of other reasons that demonstrate that. This is immaterial.

Birches said...

And if the Bidens and Warrens and Harrises if the world will not, how can I trust anything they say? It's pretty clear from your post above Trump isn't trying to be duplicitous with this allegation. Isn't that amazing? Trump's got integrity on accusations of sexual assault.

Big Mike said...

@narcisco, thanks for the reference to Lori Klausutis (note spelling). So Morning Joe May have gotten away with murder? We’ll never know for certain.

gilbar said...

Biden seems ready for this. He steadies his gaze, looks into the camera unblinking...until he starts saying it didn't happen, then there is a lot of blinking. When he finishes speaking, the blinking stops and the steady gaze returns.

It fun when watching these, to say the word "Blink", every time the speaker blinks; it's really fun when they blink 5 times in the 1st second of their answer.
BlinkBlinkBlinkBlinkBlink Blink BlinkBlink Blink Blink BlinkBlinkBlink Blink Blink

it's like they're blinking in Morse code (rhhardin? are they?)...
I am Being Forced to LIE!

Big Mike said...

A good follow-up question might be “Why don’t you remember Tara Reade? Have you groped and molested so many young women that they all run together in your mind?”

Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...

it doesnt really matter, since he's just a placeholder

...Hillary, exempted from the fray, is coiled and ready to strike

gilbar said...

The (deer in the headlight) look in his eyes when asked, SHOWS that Jo Biden is NOT qualified to be President; when he makes it Clear, that he has NO comprehension of computer searches.

Narayanan said...

I'd ask Joe Biden-
if he remembers Tara Reade working for him, what does he remember about her?

Before I even start grilling him.

bagoh20 said...

Biden says there is nothing in those archives, and Hillary told us there was nothing in those 30,000 emails she had deleted. See? All you have to do is just ask these people if they did anything wrong. What more do you need? These are good and honorable people. Why would they lie? I mean, c'mon man!

bagoh20 said...

The fact that Biden had a role introducing the Violence Against Women Act 25 years ago and likes to remind us of it only makes him seem more guilty to me. Do you really think he was part of that because of a deep concern for women being groped and penetrated by Senators, or was it a way to get some inoculation in case they get caught?

Unknown said...

"He said the papers contained 'confidential conversations' with the president and heads of state and he did not want them to be made public while he was still an actively pursuing public office."

Why not? What is there in the historical private conversations that are harmless after he is no longer seeking public office (and does he hold public office at this moment?) but not-harmless while he is seeking public office? Is the material damaging to his campaign, and if it is, isn't it relevant and important to know about before casting a vote in his favor?

bagoh20 said...

"Joe Biden says he didn't assault Tara Reade.

Joe Biden also says 600,000 Americans have died from Coronavirus."


And also that "150 million people have been killed [by guns] since 2007."

and "Why in God's name couldn't we provide an $8,000 tax credit for everybody who has childcare costs?" Biden said. "It would put 720 million women back in the workforce. "

I'd like to use Robinette math and say that Joe has penetrated 9 billion women and 12 billion told him "no".

bagoh20 said...

Can't we impeach Trump for Joe's sexual assault? That way everybody gets something.

Iman said...

Is finger-fucking “economic intercourse”?

Andrew said...

Sleepy Joe did OK in the interview which is proof this was all scripted ahead of time, probably weeks.

LA_Bob said...

Lot of good comments here about Biden's new difficulties with the accusation. I thought the Senate Democrats were outrageously disgusting with regard to Brett Kavanaugh, so it pleases me the current kerfluffe is getting traction.

But, I agree with Browndog. We -- the collective "we" -- need to stop rehashing and fighting over decades-old he-said-she-said events without independent witnesses. Both the accuser and the accused have plenty of volition for bad faith here, and they are likely the only ones who know what really did or didn't happen.

Kevin said...

If there is no complaint it’s over.

Oh that's just the trap they're setting -- an ability to "prove" Joe's innocence by a lack of a paper trail which is easily altered.

There is plenty of evidence it happened. Limiting the evidence to "staffers" is a ploy that should not go unchallenged.

Kevin said...

If this were all aimed at Trump, the lack of a report in the file would prove that Russian hackers intervened because Putin wants Trump to win a second term.

chuck said...

It begins with 4 paragraphs expressing pride in his role introducing the Violence Against Women Act 25 years ago.

That is a confession of guilt right there :) The worst offenders are always going on about their concern for women.

Kevin said...

Drudge doesn't even have this as the lead story.

Tell us nothing's changed over there.

rcocean said...

So, question asked and answered. Time for the MSM to move on. Good to see that Republicans and Democrats are being treated the same. LOL!

If the Democrats truly cared about sexual harassment, they never would've nominated Hillary and Bill (you get two for the price of one) for another white house gig. Like the "pussy tape" and Blowsey Ford this is all theater to sway the stupid women's vote.

Birches said...

Ok. I just watched the full interview. I can't believe they had a month to prepare for that. I especially liked how he kept repeating what I'm sure his staff had given him as a reminder, not a talking point: "I'm not going to go after Tara Reade."

rhhardin said...

Scott Adams says Biden confessed when he narrowed down a specific time that it didn't happen.

Biden forgot that it always didn't happen if it didn't happen.

hombre said...

I don’t know if Biden assaulted Tara Reade, but odds are that the interview was scripted. Morning Joe? MSNBC? Give me a break!

bonkti said...

I think he holds up pretty well apart from the blink profusion when he first answers the charge. There is a haunting similarity in the repetitions:

"You are nothing to me."

"It never happened."

Yancey Ward said...

A flat denial was all he could realistically do- the same applied to Kavanaugh, though I do remember some people counseled him that making a flat denial left him in a more dangerous spot.

All the papers should be released right now- indeed, Biden's explanation for why he wanted the University of Delaware to not open the records is ridiculous on its face. I suspect there is probably something in there regarding Reade. Maybe not direct support for her present allegation, but something. Otherwise Biden would have gotten out in front of this by calling on the U of Delaware to open them.

Yes, it is possible Biden forgot all about this given his obvious mental problems, but it isn't like this would have changed any of the answers he gave this morning.

Rosalyn C. said...

There's no there, there. Joe appears to be having an out of body experience (in order to lie). Of course that's just a snippet of the interview but IMO he appears blank and to me that indicates he's lying. The first rule of lying is to keep it short and that's what he did. Which is why a simple denial is never accepted on face value. Does anybody else get that kind of treatment with allegations of sexual assault? No. They get grilled.

Usually Biden's very engaging and folksy and chatty. Whatever else you might say about him, he connects with people. This was the opposite, he just wasn't there. A blank.

Left Bank of the Charles said...

The part of the interview where Biden says that women who come forward should be presumed to be telling the truth means he is going to have to prove the negative. Maybe he can do that. He must think he can. In any case, he’s set a pretty high standard for himself.

Drago said...

Kevin: "Drudge doesn't even have this as the lead story.

Tell us nothing's changed over there."

Drudge sold the Drudge report last summer and brought in a new "editor"...some schmuck from the leftist Weekly Standard (yes, yes I know, I know).

At that same time Drudge dropped the advertising firm he had been using for 20 years and hired a new firm....that had just been formed.

The stories are that the owner of that is a Google Cloud guy.

Also, Matt Drudge refuses to make any public statement about any of this.

Bottom line?

Matt Drudge sold the Drudge Report to leftist billionaires who, as part of the sale, included a requirement that Matt Drudge not make any public statements about the sale to lefties until after the election.

So the left has turned the Drudge Report into Jen Rubin....but isn't quite ready to admit it. The admission will happen sometime on or after November 4, 2020.

OldManRick said...

Everything should be evaluated as probabilities not absolutes. We don't and really can't know what's true. Let's start at 50% possibility that its true and work from there while we compare Tara Reade to Christine Blasey Ford. This is my thinking.

Tara Reade
- plus 5% because she is a democrat not a republican - no political ax to grind
- plus 5% because she gave an exact time which can be checked
- plus 5% because she did have to change jobs at the time
- plus 20% because we have at least four corroborating witnesses
- plus 10% because we've seen Joe Biden being handsy and hair sniffing in public
- minus 5% because she didn't bring it up when he moved from senator to vice president
There may be more but that gets me to at least 90% which would would prevail in a civil case but not in a criminal case. (Although it was probably enough for Harvey Weinstein.)

Christine Blasey Ford
- minus 5% because she was a democrat with an ax to grind and worked with activist lawyers
- minus 5% because of her lies about fear of flying
- minus 5% because of her lies about the extra door
- minus 5% because she won't give a time that could have allowed refutation
- minus 5% because there's no proof that they may have even known each other
- minus 5% because her social media was purged before like she had something to hide
- minus 20% because others involved directly and indirectly actively refuted her stories
- plus 5% because others came out with ludicrous accusations even though Bret Kavanaugh had no history otherwise

Again there may be more but this leaves me with only 10%. Not very convincing.

If you add plus or minus 10% for the "Bill Clinton" factor (i.e democrats seem to think they can get away with it because they are "so good on women's issues" and republicans know they need to watch their step because they know they will get hosed) then it ends up 100% for Tara Reade and 0% for CBF.

YMMV but the two are not alike. Tara Reade has much more credibility than CBF.

n.n said...

The cognitive dissonance progresses forevermore. #HateLovesAbortion

Howard said...

Francisco D: you triggered me to remember that great SF band Hot Tuna.

Dave Begley said...

Brian Kilmeade said today that Biden staffers were going through the 1,800 boxes at the University of Delaware. Search and destroy.

Where's the NYT SWAT team? Deep dive needed!

ConradBibby said...

"@narcisco, thanks for the reference to Lori Klausutis (note spelling). So Morning Joe May have gotten away with murder? We’ll never know for certain."

Is there any evidence that she was murdered? For the sake of argument, if she was murdered, is there any evidence that Joe S. had anything to do with it?

William said...

Some of Joe's most cherished childhood memories in fact happened to Neil Kinnock, the British Labor leader. Joe knows how to lie. The fact that he's not as an accomplished and skillful a liar as Bill Clinton should not obscure the fact that he knows how to lie with ease and grace. Biden is a proficient liar... Donald Trump has told some whoppers, but he told them clumsily. Some allowance should be made for the fact that he's not a professional politician and got into the game late.

ConradBibby said...

This interview was done just so people would stop calling him out for not personally addressing the allegation. Seems like Mika understood this and probably agreed to keep it fairly superficial.

Ideally, he should state not just whether "this" happened, but whether he was ever alone with her in a Senate hallway(?), said anything to her of a sexual nature, tried to have a sexual contact with her, touched her, made any advances, etc.

William50 said...

Is there another Sandy Berger out there?

William said...

Some progress has been made in war against women. Tara Reade has not been given the Paula Jones treatment. She has not been celebrated as a latter day Joan of Arc in the way CBF was, but she has not yet been torn to pieces. Linda Tripp remains the beau ideal of the proper way to treat whistle blowers against Dem sex offenders, but Tara doesn't appear to offer that kind of traction. Still, I don't think that tenure or a million dollar book deal awaits her....My guess is that after a bit she'll be relegated to the memory hole. Can anyone here name the two women who complained that the Lt. Governor of Virginia raped them. Rape. And now its forgotten.

Left Bank of the Charles said...

Let’s say this is a Disclosure-type situation. Joe has a young staffer who has a starry-eyed crush on him and he’s been told about the crush. She does things like insisting on being the staff person to bring him his gym bag, so she can get close to him outside of the confines of the office. So the part of the story where Tara says Joe told her that he thought she liked him him but that she was nothing to him might be true, his way of quashing her unwanted romantic interest.

In a reverse gender situation, we can imagine applauding a woman who put her hand down an unwanted male admirer’s pants, told him he meant nothing to her, and walked away. But that part of Tara’s story may not have happened. Making Joe out to be a pussy-grabber is suspiciously like what Trump got in trouble for saying on the Access Hollywood tape. Whether that should hurt her credibility, it does.

William said...

Some credit should be given to Mika for giving the appearance of a hard hitting interview while at the same time avoiding the really difficult questions. I guess the most obvious question is: Why should we believe you and not believe Justice Kavanaugh? Do you think it possible that the people who set up the archives set them up in such a way that embarrassing info gets deep sixed? Mika asked some hard questions but not with a cocked eyebrow or with deep skepticism......Mika was pretty good, but the benchmark for this sort of thing remains Savannah Guthrie. Remember how shocked and outraged she was that her co-anchor Matt Lauer had been abusing women for years. She was shaken to her roots....I just hope that Mika doesn't have a similar epiphany when it comes to Joe. Still, Savannah managed to regain her balance and go on to expose those Covington kids.

Jake said...

Transcription is wrong. He used a double negative. “It never never happened.” Seems to be an admission.

Bay Area Guy said...

This probably doesn't need to be said but I will say it anyway.

Females - if some guy sexually assaults you and you are scared and nervous about the event, and, for whatever reason, don't want to report it to the police, at least write down what happened, make and keep a copy for yourself, and send it to a trusted family member or friend for safekeeping.

Contemporaneous written statements carry more weight than old recollections.

Bay Area Guy said...

A few questions for Joe B:

1. Do you remember Tara Reade?

2. She was your employee in 1993, true? What were here duties?

3. Do you recall her ever making a complaint against you?

4. Why and how did she leave your office?

5. Did you ever speak to anyone about her at or near the time she left your office? Who?

6. Were you ever alone with her?

all that little stuff to hem him in..........

Kevin said...

Drudge sold the Drudge report last summer and brought in a new "editor"...some schmuck from the leftist Weekly Standard (yes, yes I know, I know).

I'd heard about this before but hoped it wasn't true.

Link now deleted.

Kevin said...

Some credit should be given to Mika for giving the appearance of a hard hitting interview

I question that. She looked like she was going to cry, not that she was hell-bent on getting to the truth.

If you don't consider the follow up segment from Scarborogh and Friends to be "hard hitting", I don't see why you'd think Mika's questions were more difficult.

I should add that Joe S's final question to Joe B was the equivalent of "please take a few minutes to tell the first responders how great they are"

BettyB said...

Blink, blink, blink.... only when not reading his answer. Body language folks say watch for this as a sign of lying.

Mika came at him hard. To her credit, she seems to be genuine when addressing man bad/woman good issues. She should never play poker--that face says it all: she appeared disturbed with his evasions and refusal to release records. But she failed to pose a question that started with the list of 7 other woman who've come forward to complain about handsy/sexualized behavior Biden engaged in that made them uncomfortable. What about that, Joe....?

Those other 7 were situations where the inappropriate touching took place in public--in full view of others. I'm sure someone can easily come up with a video montage of these women describing their experience AND extant footage all the other women (and little girls) who Biden has subjected to this creepy touchy stuff in full view of the camera. Isn't one of the things the me-too movement insists we consider is a pattern of behavior? And doesn't his willingness to be a handsy creep visible-to-all situations suggest he could easily have gone much further in a more private setting?

As to the question: why is she doing this? Who put her up to it?
Hmmmm...... cui bono?
My best guess is that the instigator is Hillary or one of her loyal/shameless minions. Maybe Tara is with "her"

FullMoon said...

He’s now anchored his response. Now we’ll see what facts come out that challenge his response.

His primary claim is there’s no complaint. He asked the secretary of the senate to search the national archives for a complaint but there is no compliant so why do the search?


If an unknown power is behind the dribble of the accusation, they have more ammo ready to go. Could be either dems or repubs. Probably a staffer or two who does indeed remember.

Also, the questions and answer are specifically related to the rape accusation. Far as I know, Ried never said she reported that. She said she reported un appreciated attention (or something). So, a search for the specific accusation would not be successful, while a search for the other complaints would not be deemed relevant unless clearly included.

Mika kept mentioning a search for anything mentioning Reid. If a complaint(s) weredocumented, it may not use specific name(s). It may say 'staffer".

Rosalyn C. said...

I listened to the full interview, thanks for posting. What bothers me the most is that Biden is refusing to allow his public papers at the University of Delaware to be examined. Not because they might contain something relevant to Tara Reade, which they probably don't, but because Biden doesn't want us, the American people, to see the real Joe Biden. He's not hiding anything there about Tara Reade, just hiding everything about himself.

A sinking ship. Too many holes to plug.

Kevin said...

COVER UP! Joe Biden Lied About Where Tara Reade's 1993 Sexual Harassment Claim Would Be

Joe Biden said that Tara Reade's complaint could only be at the National Archives, at what was then called the Office of Fair Employment Practices. But, a National Archives spokesperson told me that they do not hold records from that office.

FullMoon said...

I enjoy Slo Joe on the hot seat. Paraphrasing Inga maybe we can't prove it happened but they cannot prove it didn't.

Incidentally, the fact Reid told numerous people it happened is pretty strong stuff in her favor, but not proof..

Now I expect some staffer to come forward and back up Reid.

Of course, I also expected the California lockdown to last 2 weeks, and Clinton and Romney to win.

walter said...

It seems Joe is/has been stuck on an inflection of indignance.
"C'mon, man!"

TreeJoe said...

His campaign spent a month investigating this from every angle before allowing him to publically respond or allowing a coordinated response.

Why?

Because they needed a month to look into it.

Think about the implications of that for a moment.

Jim at said...

For most sane people, this is hypocrisy to the extreme.

Good. Now do Brett Kavanaugh.

daskol said...

That's strange advice. Has something like that ever happened, where a dusty old written statement, a memo to self, surfaced in this kind of situation?

Mark Nielsen said...

MSNBC. Pathetic. Can you imagine the outcry if a similarly-charged Republican went on one of Fox's shows to issue their denial?

Drago said...

Left Bank of the Charles: "Let’s say this is a Disclosure-type situation. Joe has a young staffer who has a starry-eyed crush on him and he’s been told about the crush."

Left Bank goes Full She Was Asking For It.

Mark Nielsen said...

MSNBC. Pathetic. Can you imagine the outcry if a similarly-charged Republican went on one of Fox's shows to issue their denial?

Susan said...

If I hadn't seen him lying on multiple occasions with teary-eyed conviction about the trauma he faced when his wife and daughter were killed by a drunk driver, I might believe him now.

Tara Reade, on the other hand, has never once had a family take her to court to force her to stop lying about a traffic accident, so far as I know.

FullMoon said...


held in Delaware

“I remember walking into the lobby and being in awe of all the people in such fancy clothes,” Murry said in an interview. “Our two parties of people gravitated towards each other and everyone started saying their hellos. When it was Biden and my aunt’s turn to say hello he quickly turned to me and asked how old I was. I replied with my age and he replied with the comment ‘Fourteen? You’re very well endowed for 14!’ I was confused but it was definitely weird, he looked me up and down and hovered his eyes on my chest so I had some clue [about] the notion of his comment but didn’t fully understand at the time. We quickly separated from his area after the encounter.”…

“I feel his comments were verbal sexual harassment,” Murry told Law&Crime. “I think I was too naive to realize exactly what it meant at the time but I vividly remember the uncomfortable feeling I had in the pit of my stomach during the whole encounter. It wasn’t Biden’s words alone that made me so uncomfortable, it was the look, the tone, the whole general vibe was off.”

stevew said...

Is that what we're now calling "confronted"? Looked more like a planned and staged political event to me.

Lurker21 said...

Mika wasn't a very resourceful interviewer, not very quick witted, but she was dogged in pushing for answers to the questions she had prepared. I'll give her that, even though I'm not a fan of hers or Joe's.

Fox and Friends is too much like a happy talk Today show. Joe and Mika were like your dysfunctional parents, with Willie Geist as their loyal, devoted, and ineffectual son, Mike Barnicle and Donny Deutsch as the creepy uncles living in the attic and the basement, and Stephanie Ruhle as the daughter who may have escaped the family dysfunctionality but still bears the scars of her upbringing, so I couldn't help tuning into them every so often just to touch base with our wacky TV family, but lately Joe has been so unhinged that the show is even harder to take than it was.

PM said...

Mika's an eye-roller, a rude, low-rent no-no for TV.
Unless it's an uncontrollable tic, then it's simply unnerving, like excessive blinking.

Nichevo said...


Drago said...
Left Bank of the Charles: "Let’s say this is a Disclosure-type situation. Joe has a young staffer who has a starry-eyed crush on him and he’s been told about the crush."

Left Bank goes Full She Was Asking For It.

5/1/20, 2:26 PM



He's some cocksucker, isn't he? Better than the woman in Disclosure. I wish he was a girl, I'd bring flowers and candy. That kind of talent should be praised, really. But think of all the dechromed trailer hitches in his vicinity.

DeepRunner said...

"This never, ever happened." It depends on what the definition of "this" is.

Gropin' Joe would never admit it to anyone, least of all himself. Dude is a reptile.