Tara Reade Biden allegation megathread

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

Fox is now more desperate to make this a story than a man who was force-fed salt water would be for bottled H2O.

[Landslide Lyndon]

LOL at Fox News breathlessly promoting Glenn Greenwald and Peter Daou.
We have seen some strange bedfellows during the Trump era indeed.

[7,052,770]

The Ford comparisons just don't work. We'll never know with 100% certainty if either of them is telling the truth or not, but we can start by assuming each is true and looking at what that would mean:

If Reade is telling the truth, there would have been dozens of people who knew about this in 1993 and every single one of them kept quiet about it for decades, when we he was running for president, running for VP, serving as VP for 8 years, and then running for president again. No opposition research or vetting ever found out about it, and all of those people kept this secret for decades, including anyone they may have told about it over the years. It's one of the greatest coverups in American history, maybe #1.

Remember, that in addition to people changing their political affiliations over time, not everybody who works in Washington works for their party. There are people working in Democratic offices who privately lean Republican and vice versa. It's not like all of those dozens of people who would have known back in 1993 are all just super Democratic hacks keeping a secret out of partisanship. Undoubtedly some of them would now support Trump, and even more likely some would have supported Bernie or another 2020 Democrat. The idea that such a huge, massive conspiracy could have gone undetected for decades just doesn't pass the smell test.

So what about Ford? According to her story, she didn't tell anyone at the time and only told a few people over the years. No one would have ever thought to talk to her while vetting Kavanaugh for his lower court offices. That doesn't prove she's telling the truth, but at least the scenario hangs together plausibly.

I think we can all see the difference. If Reade is telling the truth, Washington is way, way, way more rotten than any of us have ever dreamed, and anti-government conspiracy theories should be given more credence going forward. If Ford is telling the truth, then it's just a sad story, and unfortunately not a particularly unusual one.

[wbrocks67]

Yeah, one of the biggest things is this would've came up during his multiple runs for president, including VP for *eight* years. There's no way it wouldn't of come up by *someone* during that time.

[Bomster]

I don't know what to think about the Larry King clip... what does it mean? I don't believe Biden is a rapist but the fact a woman called Larry King about her daughter's unspecified problems that apparently require the press really worries me... I don't want this to be true... it's still far from truth, but this new development in my opinion adds slightly more credibility to Reade, then again there wasn't too much in the first place... but I don't know... I'm honestly stressing out like crazy because of this... I can't ignore it, I just want answers... I'm honestly scared... so many people are treating this like a smoking gun and it's putting my beliefs in a tough position. I honestly really hope he didn't do it...

[Rookie Yinzer]

Liberals don't like sexual assault victims unless they accuse conservatives and are boosted by intellectual reputable sources.

Half of establishment Democrats will believe literally any allegation of any kind against Trump/Pence (remember the months-long obsession with Pence reportedly being "uncomfortable" in a room with only one woman?), but want video footage and fifteen sources to even consider an allegation against Biden. They're just as brainwashed.

This story is flimsy and inconsistent as hell and she clearly has political motivation. No way in a million years you’d believe her if she “Bernie raped me. #Biden2020 #RidinWithBiden #WeKnowJoe”

Her story was heard, it was vetted, and debunked. The only folks clinging on are Trump supporters or Bernouts hoping this means we’ll nominate Bernie at the convention.

[wbrocks67]

I don't know what to think about the Larry King clip... what does it mean? I don't believe Biden is a rapist but the fact a woman called Larry King about her daughter's unspecified problems that apparently require the press really worries me... I don't want this to be true... it's still far from truth, but this new development in my opinion adds slightly more credibility to Reade, then again there wasn't too much in the first place... but I don't know... I'm honestly stressing out like crazy because of this... I can't ignore it, I just want answers... I'm honestly scared... so many people are treating this like a smoking gun and it's putting my beliefs in a tough position. I honestly really hope he didn't do it...

arent you the one that just comes in here to concern troll every single time

[Bomster]

I don't know what to think about the Larry King clip... what does it mean? I don't believe Biden is a rapist but the fact a woman called Larry King about her daughter's unspecified problems that apparently require the press really worries me... I don't want this to be true... it's still far from truth, but this new development in my opinion adds slightly more credibility to Reade, then again there wasn't too much in the first place... but I don't know... I'm honestly stressing out like crazy because of this... I can't ignore it, I just want answers... I'm honestly scared... so many people are treating this like a smoking gun and it's putting my beliefs in a tough position. I honestly really hope he didn't do it...

arent you the one that just comes in here to concern troll every single time

I am concerned, but I don't intend to troll. I just want to hear what everyone's viewpoints are because to be completely honest I don't trust my own understanding of the situation.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

I don't know what to think about the Larry King clip... what does it mean? I don't believe Biden is a rapist but the fact a woman called Larry King about her daughter's unspecified problems that apparently require the press really worries me... I don't want this to be true... it's still far from truth, but this new development in my opinion adds slightly more credibility to Reade, then again there wasn't too much in the first place... but I don't know... I'm honestly stressing out like crazy because of this... I can't ignore it, I just want answers... I'm honestly scared... so many people are treating this like a smoking gun and it's putting my beliefs in a tough position. I honestly really hope he didn't do it...

arent you the one that just comes in here to concern troll every single time

I am concerned, but I don't intend to troll. I just want to hear what everyone's viewpoints are because to be completely honest I don't trust my own understanding of the situation.

I can confirm Bomster is no concern troll. He's just someone unsteady and just almost reflexively sort of a worrying a lot type.
I can see why some people find him a concern troll but also most haven't been on AH.com which is where Bomster has a longer posting history. I have a more thorough understanding of where he stands generally.

[Progressive Pessimist]

I don't know, I'm getting a little nervous about this. The right may prioritize this over Hunter Biden as their email scandal equivalent for Biden. The hypocrisy of Trump being accused by over a dozen women with more evidence backing up those claims won't matter to them. It won't even matter if this claim gets debunked entirely or made out of bad faith. If they succeed at making this the elephant-in-the-room for Biden during this election it could put the campaign between a rock and a hard place. I hope they have a way to address this that could bludgeon whatever negative effect it could have for them. They have to deny it while simultaneously coming off as sensitive. But it may not even matter, I don't see Biden as having the ability to brave this like Clinton and Trump did with their accusations during an election. I don't think it's going to go away, and there is the potential for it to get more damaging, especially when the focus of the country turns from the pandemic. That'll be the time for the right wing character assassination machine to really take advantage of the perceptions of Biden's already overly affectionate visage, and invite Reade to cry on Fox News shows or invite her to the debates to intimidate Biden. If it can weaken support for Biden even slightly, as the right intends to do like they did with Hillary Clinton, it will have succeeded. There's also the added bonus of making Democrats potentially look like hypocrites (even as they are the ones more blatantly contradicting themselves) and in doing so cause major allies and backers to avoid Biden and his campaign.

Please reassure me and tell me that I am just having one of my Chicken Little moments here.

[GeorgiaModerate]

Please reassure me and tell me that I am just having one of my Chicken Little moments here.

I think the fact that you asked it that way shows you already know the answer.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

I don't know, I'm getting a little nervous about this. The right may prioritize this over Hunter Biden as their email scandal equivalent for Biden. The hypocrisy of Trump being accused by over a dozen women with more evidence backing up those claims won't matter to them. It won't even matter if this claim gets debunked entirely or made out of bad faith. If they succeed at making this the elephant-in-the-room for Biden during this election it could put the campaign between a rock and a hard place. I hope they have a way to address this that could bludgeon whatever negative effect it could have for them. They have to deny it while simultaneously coming off as sensitive. But it may not even matter, I don't see Biden as having the ability to brave this like Clinton and Trump did with their accusations during an election. I don't think it's going to go away, and there is the potential for it to get more damaging as the right wing character assassination machine takes advantage of the perceptions Biden's already overly affectionate visage and invite Reade to cry on Fox News shows or invite her to the debates to intimidate Biden. If it can weaken support for Biden even slightly, as the right intends to do like they did with Hillary Clinton, it will have succeeded. There's also the added bonus of making Democrats potentially look like hypocrites (even as they are the ones more blatantly contradicting themselves) and in doing so cause major allies and backers to avoid Biden and his campaign.

Please reassure me and tell me that I am just having one of my Chicken Little moments here.

why are you so much of a progressive pessimist who gets progressively more pessimistic?

[Bidenworth2020]

Barring any new developments (which certainly isn't impossible but not all that likely either), I don't think this will be a huge deal, at least electorally speaking. This call adds no evidence in her favor beyond mild corroboration that wasn't really being disputed anyway, and in my opinion hurts her case in other ways. I think Fox will absolutely try to push it, but ultimately they will have to move on without something new (even the email scandal had some drip drip drip to it).

[redjohn]

Liberals don't like sexual assault victims unless they accuse conservatives and are boosted by intellectual reputable sources.

Half of establishment Democrats will believe literally any allegation of any kind against Trump/Pence (remember the months-long obsession with Pence reportedly being "uncomfortable" in a room with only one woman?), but want video footage and fifteen sources to even consider an allegation against Biden. They're just as brainwashed.

This story is flimsy and inconsistent as hell and she clearly has political motivation. No way in a million years you’d believe her if she “Bernie raped me. #Biden2020 #RidinWithBiden #WeKnowJoe”

Her story was heard, it was vetted, and debunked. The only folks clinging on are Trump supporters or Bernouts hoping this means we’ll nominate Bernie at the convention.

If a former aide of Bernie's came forward saying he sexually assaulted her, you can bet I would listen and be the first to disavow Bernie if the allegations had credibility, like the victim's mother calling into a show decades earlier and referencing a problem like this.

So don't worry, not everybody is like Biden or Trump supporters just shrugging aside sexual assault allegations.

[BudgieForce]

Barring any new developments (which certainly isn't impossible but not all that likely either), I don't think this will be a huge deal, at least electorally speaking. This call adds no evidence in her favor beyond mild corroboration that wasn't really being disputed anyway, and in my opinion hurts her case in other ways. I think Fox will absolutely try to push it, but ultimately they will have to move on without something new (even the email scandal had some drip drip drip to it).

That's the big one. It seemed like we got a new email "bombshell" every other week. As long as more woman don't come out of the woodwork and start accusing Biden, this remains a one off accusation which will allow people to remain skeptical of the initial claim(rightly or wrongly).

I should note that people with high powered positions who commit sexual assault almost never have a single victim. That's how these stories usually take sexual predators down, an avalanche of accusations.

Edit: I'm not saying more woman will come out and accuse Biden, just that it's usually what happens. I have to believe more woman wont come out though, Biden has run 3 presidential campaigns and was vetted for Vice President in 2008. Not to mention the RNC has also probably done it's fair share of digging into Biden. If Biden were a serial assualter, you'd think someone would have found something by now.

[pppolitics]

I don't know, I'm getting a little nervous about this. The right may prioritize this over Hunter Biden as their email scandal equivalent for Biden. The hypocrisy of Trump being accused by over a dozen women with more evidence backing up those claims won't matter to them. It won't even matter if this claim gets debunked entirely or made out of bad faith. If they succeed at making this the elephant-in-the-room for Biden during this election it could put the campaign between a rock and a hard place. I hope they have a way to address this that could bludgeon whatever negative effect it could have for them. They have to deny it while simultaneously coming off as sensitive. But it may not even matter, I don't see Biden as having the ability to brave this like Clinton and Trump did with their accusations during an election. I don't think it's going to go away, and there is the potential for it to get more damaging, especially when the focus of the country turns from the pandemic. That'll be the time for the right wing character assassination machine to really take advantage of the perceptions of Biden's already overly affectionate visage, and invite Reade to cry on Fox News shows or invite her to the debates to intimidate Biden. If it can weaken support for Biden even slightly, as the right intends to do like they did with Hillary Clinton, it will have succeeded. There's also the added bonus of making Democrats potentially look like hypocrites (even as they are the ones more blatantly contradicting themselves) and in doing so cause major allies and backers to avoid Biden and his campaign.

Please reassure me and tell me that I am just having one of my Chicken Little moments here.

This is a lose-lose situation.

The problem with a decades old allegation is that it is hard to prove, but even harder to disprove.

If the Biden camp could prove that Rande lies, cheats, and steals, someone could say, "....but that doesn't mean Biden didn't rape her!"

Worse, the Biden camp could be accused of victim blaming and Reade loves nothing more than to play victim.

[pppolitics]

Liberals don't like sexual assault victims unless they accuse conservatives and are boosted by intellectual reputable sources.

Half of establishment Democrats will believe literally any allegation of any kind against Trump/Pence (remember the months-long obsession with Pence reportedly being "uncomfortable" in a room with only one woman?), but want video footage and fifteen sources to even consider an allegation against Biden. They're just as brainwashed.

This story is flimsy and inconsistent as hell and she clearly has political motivation. No way in a million years you’d believe her if she “Bernie raped me. #Biden2020 #RidinWithBiden #WeKnowJoe”

Her story was heard, it was vetted, and debunked. The only folks clinging on are Trump supporters or Bernouts hoping this means we’ll nominate Bernie at the convention.

If a former aide of Bernie's came forward saying he sexually assaulted her, you can bet I would listen and be the first to disavow Bernie if the allegations had credibility, like the victim's mother calling into a show decades earlier and referencing a problem like this.

So don't worry, not everybody is like Biden or Trump supporters just shrugging aside sexual assault allegations.

So you are going to abandon your candidate without much in the way of evidences?

[pppolitics]

As frustratingly vague as the Larry King call is, I think a lot of Democrats are underestimating just how much staying power and credibility, whether legitimate or just perceived, this recording gives Tara Reade. Unless there's some paper trail that indicates a clear and believable reason why Reade quit/was let go from Biden's office (such as conflicts with other staffers or something) then I don't see how this allegation won't stop haunting Biden throughout the election. I don't know what he or the Democratic Party should do about it, but it is possible in this day and age that no one cares much about a scandal like this, given the current state of the country.

Oh, I am sure Republicans are going to keep playing up the allegation until election day, but unless there are some significant new developments, the allegation is going to lose its potency.

[7,052,770]

Liberals don't like sexual assault victims unless they accuse conservatives and are boosted by intellectual reputable sources.

Half of establishment Democrats will believe literally any allegation of any kind against Trump/Pence (remember the months-long obsession with Pence reportedly being "uncomfortable" in a room with only one woman?), but want video footage and fifteen sources to even consider an allegation against Biden. They're just as brainwashed.

This story is flimsy and inconsistent as hell and she clearly has political motivation. No way in a million years you’d believe her if she “Bernie raped me. #Biden2020 #RidinWithBiden #WeKnowJoe”

Her story was heard, it was vetted, and debunked. The only folks clinging on are Trump supporters or Bernouts hoping this means we’ll nominate Bernie at the convention.

If a former aide of Bernie's came forward saying he sexually assaulted her, you can bet I would listen and be the first to disavow Bernie if the allegations had credibility, like the victim's mother calling into a show decades earlier and referencing a problem like this.

So don't worry, not everybody is like Biden or Trump supporters just shrugging aside sexual assault allegations.

If the evidence suggested that he did it (rather than suggesting his innocence as it does), I assure that just about everyone here would have disavowed Biden. To suggest otherwise is shockingly ignorant of the community we have here.

[GeneralMacArthur]

Guys, stop saying the Larry King clip "confirms that something happened." Nobody ever doubted that something happened.  The "something" is Reade losing her job!  She had a pretty sweet job working for a blue-chip senator and blew it.  Of course she and her mother were upset.  Of course she had a negative impression of the people who fired her.

That's a far, far more normal explanation for the call and fits perfectly with the language used by her mother and Reade's subsequent decades praising Biden.

There's no reason to believe the call is about rape, other than Reade's word, and she already lied about the contents of the call.  The phrasing used by her mother makes it extremely unlikely she is referring to her daughter being raped.

Also, just block Bomster and LimoLiberal.  They are concern trolls only here to make Democratic readers feel like "fellow Democrats are having second thoughts, maybe I should too?"

[chibul]

Guys, stop saying the Larry King clip "confirms that something happened." Nobody ever doubted that something happened.  The "something" is Reade losing her job!  She had a pretty sweet job working for a blue-chip senator and blew it.  Of course she and her mother were upset.  Of course she had a negative impression of the people who fired her.

That's a far, far more normal explanation for the call and fits perfectly with the language used by her mother and Reade's subsequent decades praising Biden.

There's no reason to believe the call is about rape, other than Reade's word, and she already lied about the contents of the call.  The phrasing used by her mother makes it extremely unlikely she is referring to her daughter being raped.

Also, just block Bomster and LimoLiberal.  They are concern trolls only here to make Democratic readers feel like "fellow Democrats are having second thoughts, maybe I should too?"

The language in the phone call is totally inconsistent with the claim of Reade being sexually assaulted. If she would have said "My daughter was just a victim of a horrific crime involving a prominent senator and is too scared to go to the police or the press" that would make a lot more sense then "My daughter just left Washington and could not get through with her problems and what else can she do other than go to the press in Washington" that would have been far more damaging.

[Illini Moderate]

The Larry King clip is more supportive of Biden than it is of Tara Reade's accusations. Why on Earth would a mother say that her daughter did not want to go to the D.C. press "out of respect" for a man that raped her? Exactly, one would not say this. This supports her earlier story more than it supports her original story where she said she felt "uncomfortable" but not "sexualized". Furthermore, the amount of times she has lied in the past about many facts surrounding her employment under Biden call into question her character and her tendency to be untruthful.

At the end of the day, these kinds of allegations can almost never be 100% proven or disproven. What you can do is look at the evidence that is available. Here, there is significantly more evidence that points to Biden not raping her than there is that point to him doing so. My mind is made up (barring new evidence arising). This woman is sick and deranged and has set a legitimate and needed movement back years. For that, she should be ashamed of herself

[GeneralMacArthur]

Tara: My mother called Larry King in 1993 and told him Biden raped me!

Tara's mother, 1993: Larry, my daughter worked for Biden and says his favorite ice cream flavor is cookie dough.

Bernie and Trump supporters: See!  Tara said her mom called Larry King about Biden, and she was telling the truth!  This is new corroborating evidence!  What a bombshell!  Biden must drop out and make Bernie the nominee!  Why isn't CNN covering this!?  If it were a Republican he'd already have been guillotined!  What about Kavanaugh?!

Bernie and Trump supporters pretending to be Biden supporters: I don't know you guys, I was a Biden supporter but after hearing that Larry King audio I'm starting to feel really nervous.  What if he really did rape her?  I might just stay home, I don't want to accidentally vote for a rapist.

[Bomster]

Guys, stop saying the Larry King clip "confirms that something happened." Nobody ever doubted that something happened.  The "something" is Reade losing her job!  She had a pretty sweet job working for a blue-chip senator and blew it.  Of course she and her mother were upset.  Of course she had a negative impression of the people who fired her.

That's a far, far more normal explanation for the call and fits perfectly with the language used by her mother and Reade's subsequent decades praising Biden.

There's no reason to believe the call is about rape, other than Reade's word, and she already lied about the contents of the call.  The phrasing used by her mother makes it extremely unlikely she is referring to her daughter being raped.

Also, just block Bomster and LimoLiberal.  They are concern trolls only here to make Democratic readers feel like "fellow Democrats are having second thoughts, maybe I should too?"

Please don't misrepresent me like that, that is not my goal at all. I am concerned, but I am no troll. I'm not trying to sow doubt or convince anyone to have second thoughts. If anything I want the opposite, I want to feel confident that everything's alright so I can stop stressing out so much. I don't think Joe Biden is a rapist. I've been called scum for defending him. I feel like he is a decent man and will make a fine president if he hopefully wins. However this story, to me, causes me so much heartache because I don't know what to make of it all, and it makes me feel doubtful about my own political intuitions and my faith in a politician I like. Once again, I'm not trying to make you all feel the same way. I simply wish to air my concerns and hear what you think, so that maybe I can start feeling less concerned and more confident.

And no, I'm not a Trump supporter, and I'm no longer a Bernie supporter. I never liked the toxicity that existed both online and in person in Bernie circles. I am a Democrat, I admire what this party stands for, I loathe what the Republicans are doing, and I feel that the only option for anyone who wishes to oppose Trump is the Democratic Party. Just because I have concerns does not mean I'm pushing a Pro-Trump or Pro-Rose agenda. I want more than anything else to defeat Trump because he is screwing this country up and I hate what he is doing to our country.

[GeneralMacArthur]

Oh, I forgot to add.

Bernie and Trump supporters pretending to be Biden supporters:

this Larry King clip is going to give her story more credibility regardless of what any one person thinks about the veracity of the accusation. I don't know how far it will go or how long it will last, but the chances of this blowing over on its own have gone down significantly due to the uncovering of this call.