Every man in America should get on his knees right now and pray that the New York Times treats him the same way the paper treated Joe Biden should they ever be accused of a sexual assault from nearly 30 years ago.
Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh was two years too early to be able to make that prayer, but better later than never, I guess.
The New York Times finally published a story on Sunday related to Tara Reade, the 56-year-old woman who claims that in 1993, when she worked for Biden’s Senate office, the former vice president pushed her up against a wall, forced her legs apart, and put his hand up her skirt.
Reade says she rejected the advances and then complained to Biden’s executive assistant and two other top aides about general harassment she experienced from the senator. Reade said she also filed a formal complaint with the Senate personnel office.
Biden’s campaign has denied the allegation.
New York Times reporters Lisa Lerer and Sydney Ember said they were unable to locate any record of the formal complaint and that after multiple interviews with former Biden staff and associates for Reade, they were only able to secure some corroboration from two friends who were granted anonymity.
All of this was wrapped up under the headline “Examining a sexual assault allegation against Biden” and put to bed. There must not have been any high school yearbooks for Lerer and Ember to dig through for embarrassing teenage slang that Biden might have used as a child.
We don’t have to decide whether we believe Reade or Biden in this scenario. She says one thing, and he says another. Reade’s friends say one thing, those close to Biden say another.
There have been other claims made about Biden, but none of them could be taken as serious examples of sexual impropriety — he hugged some women in public, and it made them uncomfortable. Cuff him!
Before the social justice mob figured out how to weaponize the #MeToo movement, we evaluated similar allegations of misconduct by surveying the evidence and considering the credibility of all parties involved. That’s still the best way to do it, and in this episode, we are, as is often the case, at an impasse.
The national media, including the New York Times, lost its way in the #MeToo hysteria for a time, buying into the idea that every accusation in and of itself carries the full weight of truth behind it. It’s good to see that Biden’s circumstances have brought them back to the light.
