Headline RoundupMay 1st, 2020

Biden Denies Sexual Assault Allegation

Joe Biden, 2020 Election, Elections, Tara Reade, Sexual Misconduct

Summary from the AllSides News Team

2020 Democratic frontrunner Joe Biden denied an allegation that he sexually assaulted former Senate staff member Tara Reade in 1993, as part of an interview on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" Friday morning. Biden released a written statement before the televised appearance, saying the alleged incident "never happened"; he stated that any record of the claim would be at the National Archives, and requested that the Secretary of the Senate ask the archives to release the record, if it exists. Most reports on Biden's statements rehashed the details of Reade's allegation. Many left- and center-rated outlets compared the claims of sexual impropriety against Biden to those against President Donald Trump, while many right-rated outlets focused on the fact that Biden hadn't been questioned directly about Reade prior to Friday; Reade's sexual assault claim surfaced on March 25. Some on the right also focused on reports that Biden has close ties to members of the University of Delaware's Board of Trustees, which has authority over his Senate archive.

Featured Coverage of this Story

From the Right

It Took 37 Days For Media To Ask Joe Biden About Tara Reade’s Sexual Assault Accusation

The Daily Caller

See rating details

The Daily Caller

News

The media afforded former Vice President Joe Biden 37 days of silence in regards to a sexual assault allegation against him.

Biden was directly asked about former Senate staffer Tara Reade’s accusation that he sexually assaulted her in the early 1990s for the first time Friday. Before that moment, Biden had only rejected the accusation through a spokesperson, despite numerous public interviews in the five weeks since Reade publicly accused him.

The presumptive 2020 Democratic presidential nominee denied sexually assaulting Reade on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” Friday.

Open on The Daily Caller

Possible Paywall

From the Left

Biden denies sexual assault allegation: 'This never happened'

CNN (Online News)

See rating details

CNN (Online News)

News

Joe Biden released a statement Friday denying a former aide's claims he sexually assaulted her 27 years ago, saying of Tara Reade's allegation: "This never happened."

Friday's statement is the first detailed response from Biden to Reade's allegation.

"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...

Open on CNN (Online News)

From the Left

'This Never Happened,' Biden Says Of 1990s Sexual Assault Allegation

NPR (Online News)

See rating details

NPR (Online News)

News

More than a month after being publicly accused of sexual assault by a former Senate staffer in the 1990s, former Vice President Joe Biden says the allegations "aren't true. This never happened."

Biden's campaign released a statement Friday morning from the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee shortly before a live television interview with MSNBC. The statement and interview are the candidate's first direct response to the allegations by former Biden Senate staff assistant Tara Reade.

In the statement, Biden seeks to walk the line between respecting and listening to sexual assault...

Open on NPR (Online News)

More headline roundups