Joe Biden said he is not dropping out of the presidential race.
On Thursday night, the former vice president rejected a call for him to drop out by Tara Reade, a former staffer of Biden who alleges he sexually assaulted her in 1993.
“Tara Reade spoke out today with Megyn Kelly, saying she’d like to see you drop out of the race, we’d like to get your response to that,” Spectrum News anchor Holly Gregory asked Biden.
“Well, look, nothing ever happened with Tara Reade,” Biden began. “Believing women means taking a woman’s claim seriously when she steps forward and then vetting it, looking into it. … Women have a right to be heard, and the press should rigorously investigate claims like these. I’ll always uphold that principle. But, in the end, in every case, the truth is what matters. And in this case, the truth is these claims are flat-out false.”
In an upcoming interview with journalist Megyn Kelly, Reade said she would be willing to testify under oath about her claims, but said Biden should be subject to a polygraph test.
“I’m not a criminal. Joe Biden should take the polygraph. What kind of precedent does that set for survivors of violence? Does that mean we’re presumed guilty, and we all have to take polygraphs? So, I will take one if Joe Biden takes one. But I’m not a criminal,” Reade told Kelly.
According to Reade, Biden forced himself upon her in the Capitol in 1993, kissing her and penetrating her with his fingers. Biden and his three office staffers have repeatedly denied the claim.
