Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee and former Vice President Joe Biden asked the secretary of the Senate to locate an alleged harassment complaint from a former staffer Tara Reade.
In a letter sent Friday to Secretary of the Senate Julie E. Adams, Biden requests "that you take or direct whatever steps are necessary to establish the location of the records of this Office, and once they have been located, to direct a search for the alleged complaint and to make public the results of this search."
"I would ask that the public release include not only a complaint if one exists, but any and all other documents in the records that relate to the allegation," the letter continues.
Reade has alleged that Biden sexually assaulted her when she was a staffer in 1993. After making her allegations last month on a podcast, Reade filed a criminal complaint against Biden, alleging he shoved his hand under her skirt and penetrated her with his fingers in a Senate corridor in 1993, Insider previously reported.
Biden has denied the accusation and publicly addressed it on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" on Friday morning.
"No, it is not true," Biden said on "Morning Joe."
"Women have a right to tell their story, and reporters have an obligation to rigorously vet those claims. We encourage them to do so, because these accusations are false," Katie Bedingfield, Biden's communications director, said in light of the allegations.
Reade also claims she was sexually harassed when she worked in Biden's office, stating that she was told to "serve drinks at an event because Biden liked the way she looked," Insider also reported.
On Friday, Biden called for the National Archives to release any records that might that could see if there was ever a complaint brought against him for sexual misconduct. The National Archive said they didn't have them and that they're most likely held by the Senate.
"I'm confident there is nothing no one that I'm aware of filed a complaint, no one in my office at the time is aware of any such request or complaint," Biden said on "Morning Joe." "I'm not worried about it at all. If there's a complaint, that's where it would be."
Reade said Biden's Senate papers at the University of Delaware could have evidence of her accusations. However, Biden claimed his Senate papers wouldn't include personnel records.
Reade said while she never brought up the assault to aides, she did bring up the harassment including to former chief of staff, Ted Kaufman.
"Ted Kaufman took notes when I spoke with him," Reade told Insider. She thinks those notes could be retrieved in the Senate archives.
Kaufman told Insider he didn't remember Reade.
As of Thursday, Biden's campaign avoided requests to open the 1,875 boxes of records, Insider reported. A spokeswoman for the University of Delaware told Insider that the collection was accessed by Biden's campaign staff in the spring of 2019.
According to Insider, members of Congress don't have to release their official records, and if they choose to make them public, they can choose what to make public and what to keep private, according to Insider.
"I think access to his senatorial records would help to vet Tara Reade's claims because they would contain records from the time that she worked for him," Lata Nott, a fellow at the Freedom Forum Institute's First Amendment Center, told Insider. "The First Amendment doesn't say you have to release your senatorial papers, but you know what? It would be good if you did. It would show a commitment to openness and transparency and the public understanding of what you did in your time as a senator and how you would be as a presidential candidate."
See the original post:
Joe Biden allows access to Senate records tied to assault allegations - Business Insider
- College sued for stopping students from handing out Constitution - April 26th, 2014 [April 26th, 2014]
- Argument preview: First Amendment protections for public employees subpoenaed testimony - April 26th, 2014 [April 26th, 2014]
- China toughens environment law to target polluters - April 26th, 2014 [April 26th, 2014]
- 1st Amendment - Laws - April 26th, 2014 [April 26th, 2014]
- GBS205 Legal Environment -THE FIRST AMENDMENT - Video - April 26th, 2014 [April 26th, 2014]
- Supreme Court Preview/Review #2 - Video - April 26th, 2014 [April 26th, 2014]
- ConLaw Class 26 - The First Amendment Speech II - Video - April 26th, 2014 [April 26th, 2014]
- Scalia Ginsburg debate NSA and first amendment - Video - April 26th, 2014 [April 26th, 2014]
- Political Correctness vs First Amendment - Video - April 26th, 2014 [April 26th, 2014]
- ConLaw Class 25 - The First Amendment -- Speech I - Video - April 26th, 2014 [April 26th, 2014]
- The First Amendment - Video - April 26th, 2014 [April 26th, 2014]
- [USA] First Amendment abused - Video - April 27th, 2014 [April 27th, 2014]
- Cliven Bundy and the First Amendment - Video - April 27th, 2014 [April 27th, 2014]
- First Amendment Tees Co. Inc. FAT-Tee Intro Video of who we are, and what we stand for - Video - April 27th, 2014 [April 27th, 2014]
- University Attacks First Amendment Costs $50,000 Plus - Video - April 27th, 2014 [April 27th, 2014]
- First Amendment Lawsuit After '8theist' Vanity Plate Denied, 'Baptist' Approved - Video - April 27th, 2014 [April 27th, 2014]
- How A Public Corruption Scandal Became A Fight Over Free Speech - April 28th, 2014 [April 28th, 2014]
- PETITION FOR A WRIT OF CERTIORARI; Crystal Cox v. Obsidian Finance Group - Video - April 28th, 2014 [April 28th, 2014]
- MSNBC: Marjorie Dannenfelser Discusses SBA List First Amendment Case - Video - April 28th, 2014 [April 28th, 2014]
- United Church of Christ sues over North Carolina ban on same-sex marriage - April 29th, 2014 [April 29th, 2014]
- Federal judge: Delayed access to court records raises First Amendment concerns - April 29th, 2014 [April 29th, 2014]
- Justices Troubled By Their Earlier Ruling On Public Employee Speech Rights - April 29th, 2014 [April 29th, 2014]
- Judge Won't Stop Jason Patric from Using Son's Name for Advocacy Purposes - April 29th, 2014 [April 29th, 2014]
- PBL in Journalism I, 2014 - Video - April 29th, 2014 [April 29th, 2014]
- John Dukes on First Amendment - Video - April 29th, 2014 [April 29th, 2014]
- Were Sterlings First Amendment Rights Violated? Nope. - April 30th, 2014 [April 30th, 2014]
- Senate Dems vow vote to change Constitution, block campaign funding - May 1st, 2014 [May 1st, 2014]
- What happened to Sterling was morally wrong - May 1st, 2014 [May 1st, 2014]
- Former Supreme Court Justice Wants to Amend the Constitution - May 1st, 2014 [May 1st, 2014]
- Donald Sterling is my HERO - Video - May 1st, 2014 [May 1st, 2014]
- Retaining Government Power to Make Economic Policy for Internet Access: Role of the First Amendment - Video - May 1st, 2014 [May 1st, 2014]
- America was just defeated from within TODAY 4/29/2014 - Martial law is next - Video - May 1st, 2014 [May 1st, 2014]
- Opposition To Proposed Monitoring Of Hate Speech By Federal Agency The Kelly File - Video - May 1st, 2014 [May 1st, 2014]
- Westfield Mayor to pay $53K in campaign sign violation case - Video - May 1st, 2014 [May 1st, 2014]
- ConLaw 1 Class 27 - The First Amendment - Free Exercise - Video - May 1st, 2014 [May 1st, 2014]
- PEASE: Free speech zones on Bundy Ranch violated First Amendment - May 1st, 2014 [May 1st, 2014]
- Bar Owner Prevails in Buck Foston First Amendment Trial - May 1st, 2014 [May 1st, 2014]
- Was Donald Sterling's First Amendment Right to Free Speech Violated? - Video - May 1st, 2014 [May 1st, 2014]
- First Amendment common sense - May 2nd, 2014 [May 2nd, 2014]
- The First Amendment Doesn't Allow us to Silence Opposition; Get Rid of Limits on Political Speech - Video - May 3rd, 2014 [May 3rd, 2014]
- Save Us Chuck - First Amendment Zones - Video - May 3rd, 2014 [May 3rd, 2014]
- HAROLD PEASE: Free speech zones on Bundy Ranch violated First Amendment - May 4th, 2014 [May 4th, 2014]
- In our opinion: Why government can't tackle hate speech without shredding First Amendment - May 4th, 2014 [May 4th, 2014]
- In our opinion: Can't tackle hate speech without shredding First Amendment - May 4th, 2014 [May 4th, 2014]
- Sen. Ed Markey proposes eliminating free speech - Video - May 4th, 2014 [May 4th, 2014]
- Alabama Chief Justice Stunning Legal Ignorance - Video - May 4th, 2014 [May 4th, 2014]
- Church Uses First Amendment Protections To Perform Same Sex Marriages - Video - May 4th, 2014 [May 4th, 2014]
- first amendment test filming Tucson FBI Headquarters. - Video - May 4th, 2014 [May 4th, 2014]
- "First Amendment ONLY for Christians," Says Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore - Video - May 5th, 2014 [May 5th, 2014]
- Endangered Speeches - Video - May 5th, 2014 [May 5th, 2014]
- First Amendment Monument Music Video by Daniel Brouse - Video - May 6th, 2014 [May 6th, 2014]
- first amendment rights - Video - May 6th, 2014 [May 6th, 2014]
- News media challenges ban on journalism drones - May 6th, 2014 [May 6th, 2014]
- WHAT FIRST AMENDMENT - Video - May 6th, 2014 [May 6th, 2014]
- Letter: First Amendment rights trampled - May 8th, 2014 [May 8th, 2014]
- News outlets say US drone ban breaches First Amendment - May 8th, 2014 [May 8th, 2014]
- Chucking the First Amendment: Schumers cranky scheme - May 8th, 2014 [May 8th, 2014]
- Screw the First Amendment | We cant let people pray? - Video - May 8th, 2014 [May 8th, 2014]
- Chief Justice: 1st Amendment Only Protects Christians - Video - May 8th, 2014 [May 8th, 2014]
- Inside the Classroom with Professor Leslie Kendrick - Video - May 9th, 2014 [May 9th, 2014]
- 2014 Civics Video Awards First Amendment - Video - May 9th, 2014 [May 9th, 2014]
- .First Amendment protects political speech, not profanity - Video - May 9th, 2014 [May 9th, 2014]
- Charles "Chip" Babcock on Campaign Finance and the First Amendment - Video - May 9th, 2014 [May 9th, 2014]
- A First Amendment attack on Assembly... in George Washington - May 9th, 2014 [May 9th, 2014]
- SUPREME STUPIDITY Kills The First Amendment - RIP Separation of Church & State (1787-2014) - Video - May 10th, 2014 [May 10th, 2014]
- FBI Agents Harass Photographer: First Amendment Test - Video - May 10th, 2014 [May 10th, 2014]
- History Project: First Amendment. - Video - May 10th, 2014 [May 10th, 2014]
- SDG&E Challenges The First Amendment and Loses - Video - May 11th, 2014 [May 11th, 2014]
- Richmond City Council Uses Tricks to Undermine First Amendment - Video - May 11th, 2014 [May 11th, 2014]
- Their opinion: Disagreeing on the First Amendment - May 12th, 2014 [May 12th, 2014]
- The Clash Between the First Amendment and National Security in Times of War Symposium - Video - May 12th, 2014 [May 12th, 2014]
- City Charter amendment passes 581-556 - May 15th, 2014 [May 15th, 2014]
- David Allen Legal Tuesday: Flashing Automobile Lights and the First Amendment - Video - May 15th, 2014 [May 15th, 2014]
- Senator Chuck Schumer is against the First Amendment then and now - Video - May 15th, 2014 [May 15th, 2014]
- Facebook SUCKS! - Video - May 15th, 2014 [May 15th, 2014]
- Dems threaten Kochs with a constitutional amendment - May 16th, 2014 [May 16th, 2014]
- Reid backs campaign spending limit - May 16th, 2014 [May 16th, 2014]
- Tennessee Boy Recites First Amendment Rights After Being Told to Put Away His Bible - Video - May 16th, 2014 [May 16th, 2014]
- 'Shutup,' they explained Crippling the First Amendment - May 18th, 2014 [May 18th, 2014]
- Reid Seeks To Change First Amendment To Stop Koch Brothers - Video - May 18th, 2014 [May 18th, 2014]