A pro-Trump PAC submitted a public records request to the University of Delaware for documents in Joe Biden’s sealed archive of Senate files that may corroborate Tara Reade’s allegations of sexual assault and harassment.
Great America PAC, a hybrid super PAC and traditional PAC, announced the filing on Thursday. The move comes as Biden faces pressure to allow access to the files.
“While Democrats leaders and the national media can try to protect Joe Biden by ignoring this serious allegation, the University of Delaware cannot do the same,” Ed Rollins, chairman of the PAC, said in a statement. “As a publicly funded university holding public records, they must immediately release these critical documents in the public interest. Furthermore, since Joe Biden claims the allegations are false, he should want these records released to help clear his name. If Biden blocks their release, what is he hiding?”
The move may produce nothing. Personal files of senators after they retire are private property, and the University of Delaware has denied public records requests from the Washington Post that sought to uncover the agreement between Biden and the university about the documents.
Great America PAC is one of the largest PACs supportive of President Trump, but is not formally affiliated with him. Trump has authorized only one PAC, America First PAC, and the Trump campaign has asked other PACs to shut down.
Biden donated his Senate records to the University of Delaware in 2011. It was expected to be made public sometime in 2019, but the university said last year that the collection would be sealed from the public until two years after Biden “retires from public life” or two years after Dec. 31, 2019, whichever is later.
Reade, who accused Biden of inappropriately touching her hair and neck and of penetrating her with his fingers, suspects that a sexual harassment complaint she filed with an outside Senate personnel office in 1993 may be stored in the archives. It might also include notes from meetings she said she had with top staff members about harassment or information about retaliation she said she suffered after coming forward with the claims.
Biden, as well as three people who were top staffers at the time, deny Reade’s claims.
Earlier on Thursday, Business Insider reported that Biden campaign operatives accessed his sealed files last spring after he launched his presidential bid.
