Woman says Tara Reade told her of Biden accusation: report

A woman has come forward to corroborate claims made by a former staffer to Joe Biden who says the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee sexually assaulted her when she worked in his Senate office in the early 1990s.

Tara Reade, who managed the intern program for Biden’s Senate office in 1993, last month alleged publicly that Biden had sexually assaulted her in an empty corridor on Capitol Hill. She previously had accused him of inappropriate touching.

The Biden campaign has denied the allegations of sexual assault.

In an interview with Business Insider on Monday, Lynda LaCasse, who lived next door to Reade at the time, said she recalls Reade tearfully recounting the story of the alleged assault when they were neighbors in 1993.

“This happened, and I know it did because I remember talking about it,” LaCasse said.

“I remember her saying, here was this person that she was working for and she idolized him,” LaCasse continued. “And he kind of put her up against a wall. And he put his hand up her skirt and he put his fingers inside her. She felt like she was assaulted, and she really didn’t feel there was anything she could do.”

LaCasse also identified herself as a Democrat in the story and said she planned to vote for Biden for president.

The Biden campaign on Monday pointed to its previous statement on the matter.

“Vice President Biden has dedicated his public life to changing the culture and the laws around violence against women,” said deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield. “He authored and fought for the passage and reauthorization of the landmark Violence Against Women Act. He firmly believes that women have a right to be heard — and heard respectfully. Such claims should also be diligently reviewed by an independent press. What is clear about this claim: It is untrue. This absolutely did not happen.”

Reade’s brother Collin Moulton previously told Business Insider that she had told him that Biden “had his hand under her clothes at some point.”

Reade says she confronted senior Biden aides about it at the time. The former Biden staffers named by Reade went on the record with The New York Times and The Associated Press to say they were never confronted about the alleged assault.

Reade says she filed a complaint with the human resources office in the Senate about the allegations of inappropriate touching but did not file a police report at the time.

Media outlets have not been able to locate the human resources complaint. Reade filed a complaint with the Washington, D.C., police department earlier this month.

The former vice president has not personally addressed the matter in public.

In April 2019, shortly before officially launching his presidential bid, several women, including Reade, came forward to say that Biden had made them uncomfortable by touching them inappropriately at public events.

Biden has said his actions were innocent displays of public affection with both men and women. But he acknowledged that times have changed and said he would adjust his behavior.

Reade is the only woman to accuse Biden of sexual assault.

President Trump has also faced accusations from multiple women of sexual assault and misconduct.