May 7, 2020

"Why is Tara Reade’s official complaint against former Vice President Joe Biden so hard to find?"

"Possibly because the system for lodging it was opaque and challenging for accusers. Reade, a onetime Biden staffer, says she filed a complaint against him in 1993 when he was in his fourth term in the Senate representing Delaware. The process would have subjected her to a system that did little to protect Capitol Hill staffers from retribution and offered little recourse if they were not satisfied with the outcome. It would take a 1995 overhaul of congressional personnel laws to bring Congress in line with federal labor and anti-discrimination laws. Even almost 30 years later, the alleged complaint — the secretary of the Senate won’t even confirm or deny whether there is one — may never be released because of strict disclosure rules.... Four in 10 women who responded to a 2016 CQ Roll Call survey of congressional staff said they believed sexual harassment was a problem on Capitol Hill, while one in six said they personally had been victimized. 'Unfortunately, due to the system that Congress created to protect itself from being exposed, there has been no accountability,' [said Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif.]. Between 1997 and 2014, the U.S. Treasury paid $15.2 million in taxpayer dollars toward 235 awards and settlements for Capitol Hill workplace violations...."

From "The opaqueness of Congress’ workplace rules hangs over the Tara Reade allegations about Biden/Secretary of the Senate says law prohibits disclosure of any complaint" (Roll Call).

42 comments:

wendybar said...

They had time to get rid of it. You don't think they wouldn't??? After what they did to Flynn, and what they are doing to Trump, I don't trust any of them.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Biden-Hillary.

Because we need more of this old crap.

Levi Starks said...

Biden is not not accused of sexual harassment.
He’s accused of sexual assault.

Known Unknown said...

"was in his fourth term in the Senate "

I think I found the problem.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

2 crooks for the price of one. Family enrichment thru international bribery. Russian-Ukrainian-Chi-Com mega-bucks for Biden-Clinton family enrichment. Sexual assault and abuse of women thru the decades. Media excusing it all. Hillary blaming the women. Hillary using her get-out-of-hypocrisy-card to insist "Believe all women". *barf*

So GROSS.

Biden-Hillary!

Bay Area Guy said...

Why is Tara Reade’s official complaint against former Vice President Joe Biden so hard to find?"

DNC Investigation: We looked really, really hard, but didn't find it. Case Closed!

It wasn't hard for Slow Joe to find the actual pussy to grab, but it's damn hard, Man, to find the actual Complaint!

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Biden will select Hillary then step down.

It's coming. Brace yourselves. The entrenched family fascism that rules behind the scenes is the never ending democratic party Schitt-show.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Did they check Sandy Berger's socks yet?

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

RULES ARE FOR THE PLEBES. Is there a bigger font I can use here?

BarrySanders20 said...

"DNC Investigation: We looked really, really hard, but didn't find it. Case Closed!"

Media: What DNC said. This is old news. Plus, we are busy tracking down Valentines Day cards that Brett Kavanaugh might have given to the girls in 6th grade.

Joy said...

Anyone who is an honest participant in our political process and has ever had a family member or parent going through the natural aging process will recognize the cognitive decline associated with growing older - joe biden looks and acts like when my father, his doctor and I, asked him to stop driving. It's a time in peoples lives where they should have less responsibility. Regardless of your politics joe biden is not in a position to take on the demands of being president.

rehajm said...

Biden is not not accused of sexual harassment.
He’s accused of sexual assault.


An important distinction that they're trying to muddy, as a Clinton would say...and how fucked up is it they're willing to settle for an equivalence sexual harassment?

#MeToo is dead, dismembered and her parts scattered in the woods behind the supermarket.

rehajm said...

On topic: Hillary worth a dime today. Bernie back up to 3 cents...

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

Bleachbit says “Biden will select Hillary then step down.“

I like you BB but that’s not how it works. Can you fill in the gaps between now and what you predict?

Temujin said...

If any corporation had the track record of our Congress, CIA, FBI, etc- let's just say our government, they'd either be out of business or on their way out.

Oh wait, I take that back. There's Hollywood. Academia. The Media.

OK, let's say if any corporation with right leaning characteristics had the track record of Congress, they'd be out of business.

Meade said...

"Biden-Hillary."

Trump-Hillary. BATA! Bring America Together Again.

Fernandinande said...

We cannot confirm or deny that we cannot confirm or deny the existence of that document.

Meade said...

"Biden is not not accused of sexual harassment.
He’s accused of sexual assault."

He's accused of sexual assault in the workplace, committed against a subordinate employee. Two twotwo mints in one.

Sebastian said...

"Between 1997 and 2014, the U.S. Treasury paid $15.2 million in taxpayer dollars toward 235 awards and settlements for Capitol Hill workplace violations"

Hypothesis: more Dem than GOP violations.

Cynical reason: if not, MSM would have been on it long ago.

traditionalguy said...

The Awan bros had it all. Just ask Pakistan for help searching their files.

Gunner said...

Democrats have said they are too lazy to dump him for some other lefty, even if he raped their kids, so who cares? They are so uncreative.

Wince said...

Althouse said...
"Why is Tara Reade’s official complaint against former Vice President Joe Biden so hard to find?"


Biden Voted to Block Creation of Senate Office That Handles Sexual Harassment Complaints
Then-senator Joe Biden backed a procedural motion declaring the office unconstitutional

Biden was one of six Democrats who joined an effort to block the Office of Senate Fair Employment Practices in 1991 on the grounds that it was unconstitutional. The vote came less than two years before Tara Reade allegedly filed a complaint about her treatment as an employee in Biden's Senate office.

Nonapod said...

the system that Congress created to protect itself from being exposed, there has been no accountability

Yeah, that 15 million in payouts is particularly galling.

Michael said...

I assume Reade's complaint was an actual piece of paper. How could she not have kept a copy? There may be bureaucratic or psychological reasons. Or maybe it's still to come.

Bay Area Guy said...

@Fernandistein,

"We cannot confirm or deny that we cannot confirm or deny the existence of that document."

That dovetails nicely with the Biden legal defense:

We cannot confirm or deny that the pussy was in fact actually grabbed.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

@ Mike 9:26

Biden will select Hillary. Biden wins, because the media and late-night TV for Democrats have successfully destroyed Trump. Also, all the vote harvesting and take-as-long-as-needed-to-count D-wins thru endless counting and the mysterious box of ballots that just showed up.

Biden will step down at some point.. 1st year? 2nd year? The VP then becomes prez. Isn't that how it works? Wow - Hillary is prez and she didn't even need to do much. Pandemics are once again relegated to "nothing to see here." The Clinton Family Foundation is revved up again, and all her donors are made whole and given cushy jobs in the bureaucracy.

Brennan-Comey-McCabe-Strozk are made whole as well. Enemies are punished ala General Flynn.

ga6 said...

This type of rule making has been described as "baffle 'em with bullshit". I was very good at it.

Fernandinande said...

"Treasury paid $15.2 million in taxpayer dollars toward 235 awards and settlements for Capitol Hill workplace violations...."

They could get more and better workplace violations if they'd pay more for them.

Matt Sablan said...

Here would be a fun question: How many OTHER accusations from that time period CAN we find?

Big Mike said...

To the people who wrote the rules, you're looking at a desired feature, not a bug.

Matt Sablan said...

"Biden will select Hillary then step down."

-- The biggest threat to Biden is that Bernie Bros and others will be disillusioned with the Democrats and stay home/vote third party. If that happens, he loses, bigly. Even the DNC knows that the left is done falling in love or line.

Matt Sablan said...

So. Why are news reporters not getting things on this leaked to them? Not even just Reade, but every last one of these accusations/complaints? This is a gold mine. Pulitzer prize winning stuff. Instead, we're getting more anonymous sources about Trump maybe saying mean things.

Here's where an adversarial press could shine. Tear down the whole facade and put the boot to the bastards in both parties.

narciso said...

it was properly sandy burgered, out of sight,

n.n said...

#MeToo is dead, dismembered and her parts scattered in the woods behind the supermarket.

No longer viable. A victim of her own quasi-religion, selective, opportunistic.

Kevin said...

I'm so old I remember Liz Warren demanding a leading Democrat disclose all complaints and release all women to come forward with any tales of past incidents.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

update:
#MeToo is selectively dead. #Party#Affiliations#Matter

Bay Area Guy said...

#MeToo is dead, dismembered and her parts scattered in the woods behind the supermarket.

No longer viable. A victim of her own quasi-religion, selective, opportunistic.


Umm, No, not quite.

#MeToo is selectively dead. #Party#Affiliations#Matter

Bingo. When the next Republican is charged with grabbing the pussy -- all hell will break loose. Vindicate the Tara Reades of the world, they will scream!

Michael K said...

I would love to see the records of the Congressional slush fund for paying off the victims of Congressional abuse.

Kathryn51 said...

Matt Sablan said...
So. Why are news reporters not getting things on this leaked to them? Not even just Reade, but every last one of these accusations/complaints? This is a gold mine. Pulitzer prize winning stuff. Instead, we're getting more anonymous sources about Trump maybe saying mean things.

Because they are overwhelmingly Democrats. Just about every scandal that became "public" in the last few years has been a Republican - somehow, some way, they always manage to become public.

bagoh20 said...

Power is a hell of drug, plus a little sex as a chaser and you see why some guys never want to leave the job.

Bunkypotatohead said...

"Between 1997 and 2014, the U.S. Treasury paid $15.2 million in taxpayer dollars toward 235 awards and settlements for Capitol Hill workplace violations"

That's about $64k per pussy grab. Where do I sign up?

gadfly said...

Why is Reade's complaint hard to find? Maybe she didn't file one? Mania brings on disorientation.