Pelosi says she remains 'satisfied' with Biden's response to sexual assault allegation, praises his 'integrity'
TRUMP IS NOT THE TOPIC
TRUMP IS NOT THE TOPIC
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Warning: This article contains information and details about sexual assault and/or violence, which may be upsetting to survivors.
Resources to help survivors of sexual assault include the National Sex Assault Hotline (800-656-4673), and The Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network (RAINN) online hotline.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Thursday that she remains "satisfied" with how former vice president Joe Biden has addressed an allegation of sexual assault from the mid-1990s and praised him for his "great values" and "integrity."
Pelosi's comments, during an appearance on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," marked her fullest defense to date of the presumptive Democratic nominee, whose campaign has flatly denied the allegation of Tara Reade, who worked for Biden while he served as a senator from Delaware.
Asked about the allegation, Pelosi, who endorsed Biden earlier this week, said she has "great sympathy" for women who bring forward such claims and considers herself a "big strong supporter of the #MeToo movement."
"And I do support Joe Biden," Pelosi said. "I'm satisfied with how he has responded. I know him. I was proud to endorse him on Monday, very proud to endorse him. And so I'm satisfied with that."
Biden has not commented directly about Reade's accusation, despite growing calls by Democrats to do so, and he has declined requests for an interview.
Pressed on whether Biden should speak out himself about the accusation, Pelosi did not directly answer.
"It's a matter that he has to deal with it, but I am impressed with people who worked with him at the time saying they absolutely never heard one iota of information about this," she said. "Nobody ever brought forth a claim or had anybody else tell them about such a claim."
Pelosi then pivoted to talking about the importance of the upcoming election against President Trump, the Republican incumbent.
"We have an important election at hand, one of the most important ones we've had . . . and I supported [Biden] because he's a person of great values, integrity, authenticity, imagination and connection to the American people," she said.
Reade, who worked for Biden for nine months ending in 1993, said in interviews with The Post last year that Biden put his hands on her shoulders and neck when she was working in his Senate office.
She said she had complained about it to three senior aides in the office, but those aides told The Post they had no recollection of Reade making a claim.
Last month, in a podcast interview, Reade alleged that Biden assaulted her after pushing her against a wall somewhere on Capitol Hill.
On Wednesday, Lynda LaCasse, a former neighbor of Reade's, told The Post in a text message that when they lived near each other in 1995 and 1996, Reade told her that "Joe Biden sexually assaulted her."
"She said that he had put her up against a wall, put his hand up her skirt and his fingers inside her," LaCasse said.
She did not offer other details, referring The Post to Business Insider, which published an interview with LaCasse on Monday.
Lorraine Sanchez, who worked with Reade in California, was quoted by Business Insider as saying that Reade had told her she "had been sexually harassed by her former boss while she was in DC and as a result of her voicing her concerns to her supervisors, she was let go, fired."
A 1993 call to Larry King's CNN talk show also has surfaced in recent days. In the clip, a woman whom Reade identified as her now-deceased mother called to report unspecified "problems" her daughter was having with her employer, whom she called "a prominent senator." The caller said her daughter did not want to go public with her account "out of respect for" the unnamed senator.
The Post published an in-depth examination of her account two weeks ago, in which one of her friends confirmed that Reade had told her of the incident shortly after she said it occurred.
Reade's brother, Collin Moulton, also told The Post that she had told him in 1993 that Biden had touched her neck and shoulders. Several days after the interview, he said in a text message that he recalled her telling him that Biden had put his hand "under her clothes."
Several women last year said Biden had been overly affectionate in a way that made them uncomfortable. Reade's accusation that Biden had penetrated her was the first allegation of sexual assault made against him.
John.Wagner@washpost.com
Amber Phillips and Matt Viser contributed to this report.
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TRUMP IS NOT THE TOPIC
TRUMP IS NOT THE TOPIC
He's not even addressed the allegations, but Pelosi's satisified.
Perfect.
Nancy has no integrity.
She is nothing but a shill for the Democratic Party.
But she's got a freezer full of ice cream and is doing everything she can to postpone going back to her JOB!
Wait, are we going by Democrat rules, or Republican rules as far as sexual assault claims?
It's the Biden standard for judging others who are accused.. "“you’ve got to start off with the presumption that at least the essence of what she’s talking about is real, whether or not she forgets facts, whether or not it’s been made worse or better over time.”
What does that mean?
By Democrat rules does Creepy Joe have to sit in a room why'll she tells her story? At least she can tell you where, when and how.
So what do you think about Nancy being satisfied with Bidens response? Well I guess no response is a response, right?
I'm shocked that you'd even think of asking such a partisan question regarding sexual assault and then publicly post it. Wow.
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So the standard is judging based on the suspect? Not sure that would hold up in court.
You can have one standard that all are judged upon, otherwise it is just a bunch of hypocritical thinking.
Wow, major deflection. Sexual assault is a crime, it is based on the criminal code at the location it is committed. What a super partisan deflection to try and avoid comparisons.
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That is the best deflection you have, BTW Democrats were defending Franken at the peak of the metoo movement with evidence, 'oh he was just playing around'.
Again do you think that Biden should go through the same scrutiny as Kavanaugh? Mind you I don't like these people coming forward with 30 year old accusations but the hypocrisy of Democrats on the issue is what bothers me. It seems their only defense of Biden is TDS.
Al Franken was expendable, Joe Biden is not. Did you hear his withering response to simple straightforward questions this morning from Mika Brzezinski ?
Let me fill you in - he is unwilling to provide Senate documents from the University of Delaware. Reade says her complaint at the time can be found there!
Yes, straight out of the Michael Cohen/ (deleted) handbook. Deny, deny, deny.
You are off topic.
Clearly defined by the seeder.
The topic is the double standard of progressives.
He's got some nerve talking about whether or not anyone forgets fact!
Why are women going weak on calling out these men? Any man does that to me, he would be on the ground in a skinny minute!
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And if the rapist is a Republican, cha ching....
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We know, we know, any woman that accuses a Democrat of anything had better have full video evidence, witnesses, and the accused themselves admitting it. Otherwise they will be thrown into the media/DNC meat grinder.
Straight out of the Michael Cohen, Ty Cobb, Jay Sekulow and Roy Cohn playbook. Deny, deny, deny.
The donated papers are about legislation etc. The University has been trying to organize them for three maybe four years. you really think any thing incriminating would be disposed of that way?
He told us where to look, in the National archives where any other Seante office workers personnel records would be stored.
I concede.
I don't see that anywhere. I do see a seed about a tempest in a teapot
while two dozen other victims await their day to be taken seriously as well.
Like the #metoo elephant in the room.
Biden's "staff" addressed the allegations and denied them; dumbass Pelosi thinks everyone should believe them. Since she didn't give Justice Kavanaugh the same due process, she's a hypocrite.
And Biden's staff was using the report in the New York Times to prove that Biden was innocent. It got so bad that even the New York Times has pushed back on that claim by stating clearly their reporting did not come to any determination. So it's a wonderful setup. His campaign is running around telling everybody to read the NY Times article as it shows that Biden didn't do it, good old Pelosi (among others) follows along. And she's satisfied with Biden's explanation despite the fact that Biden hasn't said anything about the allegations. If the hypocrisy was any more perfect you would have to cry.
You just gotta know it's all messed up when even the freaking New York Times won't go along with you and you are a Democrat!
Poor Joe!
Whichever way they go, either demanding investigations, or blowing it off because it’s 30 years old, I don’t care. But they need to pick one. You don’t get to act like these things should be taken seriously for Republicans but dismissed for Democrats. It’s ridiculous.
I think what Nancy is saying is that all women who accuse a Republican of sexual misconduct should be believed, no questions asked, and if a woman is accusing a Democrat of the same, it is not okay to believe her no questions asked.
What she is satisfied is he has said nothing. She knows he has been told to keep his mouth shut and his aides will put out talking points.
Her majesty is satisfied.
They should make social distancing permanent for Creepy Joe. Put a shock collar on him and if he violates the 6 foot rule give him a jolt.
Nancy "Bot" Pelosi
Then !
“It took great courage for Dr. Christine Blasey Ford to come forward with her story,” Pelosi tweeted Sept. 18, 2018. “The American people are owed a thorough investigation of the grave & credible allegations against Brett Kavanaugh.”
“This morning, I took time to watch Christine Blasey Ford’s deeply moving opening statement. Thank you for your bravery, Dr. Ford,”
“Brett Kavanaugh has proven he cannot be trusted to defend a woman’s right to choose. We must stand united against him & the ongoing Trump assault on women’s health care,”
“A vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh is a vote to deny millions of American women the pre-existing condition protections they deserve.”
NOW !
"The happiest day for me this week was to support Joe Biden for president of the United States,"
"He's a person of great integrity, great concern for the American people."
"So I want to remove all doubt in anyone's mind, I have great comfort level with the situation as I see it, with all the respect in the world for any woman who comes forward, but with all the highest regard for Joe Biden,"
"The decades-old charge does not dampen my full-throated endorsement of Biden's candidacy."
“I’m satisfied with how he has responded” , “I'm very proud to endorse him.”
“It’s a matter that he has to deal with, but I am impressed with the people who worked for him at the time saying that they absolutely never heard one iota of information about this, nobody ever brought forth a claim or had anybody else tell them about such a claim,”
Nanc wants to be the VP pick.
If that's the case, we need to take back the House to ensure the second in line, speaker of the House, is a Republican. Not sure how much Mr. Biden or Nanc are going to be able to "healthily" take the heat.
I doubt Biden can find the Oval office these days much less work there.
Jim - don't know if you've noticed it or not, but "some" news networks are already touting Hillary as the stand-in for Biden.
That is a scary friggin' thought.
I watched her "Town Hall" speakage
on endorsing Joe.
That was ……… REALLY SCARY (The WITCH descends on OZ)!
Joe's in love ..…. AGAIN !
Just lift your arms a bit more....oooooo….that's it......Oh BABY.
If she gets the vp nomination, she will be President, when creepy joe falls down the stairs or shoots himself in the back of his head.
I think we can conclude that progressives have finally, once and for all, destroyed the "Me Too Movement!"
Nope, just wait until the next time a Republican is accused. The movement will be back in full force, with Democratic and media backing.
Article locked until Texan comes back to moderate the comments.