Full Transcript: Joe Biden Addresses Tara Reade Allegations on ‘Morning Joe’
The former vice president was interviewed about the allegation made by his former Senate aide that he sexually assaulted her in 1993.
Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. spoke with Mika Brzezinski on MSNBC on Friday
Credit...MSNBC's Morning Joe, via Associated Press: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/01/us/politics/joe-biden-tara-reade-msnbc.html
Maggie AstorIsabella Grullón Paz
By Maggie Astor and Isabella Grullón Paz
May 1, 2020
Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. appeared on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Friday to publicly address, for the first time, Tara Reade’s allegation that Mr. Biden sexually assaulted her. Mr. Biden denies the allegation.
Here is a full transcript of his interview with Mika Brzezinski.
Mika Brzezinski: OK, let’s bring in the apparent Democratic nominee for president, former Vice President Joe Biden. Mr. Vice President, thank you for coming on the show this morning. We have —
Joseph R. Biden Jr.: Happy to be with you.
MB: — a lot we want to ask you this morning. Joe and Willy will join for questions in just a minute on how you would handle this pandemic, the campaign and other news of the day, but at the start, it’s just going to be you and me, and I want to get right to the allegation made against you by Tara Reade.
So, the former Senate aide accuses you of sexual assault. And please, to our viewers, please excuse the graphic nature of this, but I want to make sure that there is no question as to what we’re talking about. She says in 1993, Mr. Vice President, that you pinned her against the wall and reached under her clothing and penetrated her with your fingers. Would you please go on the record with the American people? Did you sexually assault Tara Reade?
JB: No, it is not true. I am saying unequivocally it never, never happened, and it didn’t. It never happened.
MB: Do you remember her? Do you remember any — any types of complaints that she might have made?
JB: I don’t remember any type of complaint she may have made. It was 27 years ago, and I don’t remember, nor does anyone else that I’m aware of, and the fact is that I don’t remember. I don’t remember any complaint ever having been made.
MB: Have you or your campaign — have you reached out to her?
JB: No, I have not reached out to her. It’s 27 years ago. This never happened, and when she first made the claim, we made it clear that it never happened, and that’s — it’s as simple as that.
MB: In the past 30 minutes or so, you released a statement on Medium, and among other things, you write this: “There’s only one place a complaint of this kind could be: the National Archives. I am requesting that the secretary of the Senate ask the Archives to identify any record of the complaint she alleges she filed. If there was any such complaint, the record will be there.”
Are you preparing us for a complaint that might be revealed in some way? Are you confident there is nothing?
JB: I’m confident there’s nothing. No one ever brought it to the attention of me 27 years ago. This is — any assertion at all. No one that I’m aware of in my campaign, actually my Senate office at the time, is aware of any such request or any such complaint, and so I’m not worried about it at all. If there is a complaint, that’s where it would be. That’s where it would be filed, and if it’s there, put it out. But I’ve never seen it. No one has that I’m aware of.
MB: The New York Times has investigated this exhaustively. They didn’t find any of your former staff members who were able to corroborate the details of this allegation. She did file a police report a few weeks ago with the D.C. police. But since you want to set the record straight, why limit this only to Tara Reade? Why not release any complaints that had been made against you during your Senate career?
JB: I’m prepared to do that. To the best of my knowledge, there’s been no complaints made against me in terms of my Senate career, in terms of my office. Look, this is an open book. There’s nothing for me to hide. Nothing at all.
MB: You were unequivocal, Mr. Vice President, back in 2018 during the Kavanaugh controversy and hearings, and you said that women should be believed. You said this: “For a woman to come forward in the glaring lights of focus nationally, you’ve got to start off with the presumption that at least the essence of what she is talking about is real, whether or not she forgets the facts, whether or not it’s been made worse or better over time.”
She’s going to be going on national television on Sunday. Tara Reade is coming forward in the glaring lights, to use your words. Should we not start off with the presumption that the essence of what she’s talking about is real? She says you sexually assaulted her.
JB: Look {paywall}
CHECK THE FACTS...JUST NOT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE!!!
