On Thursday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “The Last Word,” 2020 Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden stated that he doesn’t remember Tara Reade and that her story “changes considerably.”
Host Lawrence O’Donnell asked, “Do you remember Tara Reade, who worked there for about — around a year in 1992, ’93?”
Biden responded, “Well, to be honest with you, I don’t.”
He continued, “But look, let me get something clear. When a woman makes a claim that she has been harassed or abused — and this claim has changed, as it’s gone on — but harassed or abused, she should be taken seriously. She should come forward, share her story, she should be taken seriously, and it should be thoroughly vetted. And in every case, what matters is the truth. Truth is what matters. And the truth of the case is, nothing like this ever, ever happened. She has a right to be heard, but then it should be vetted, and the truth ultimately matters. And I give you my word, it never, ever happened.”
Biden then responded to a question on what he would tell people who are torn on whether to vote for him because they believe Reade’s allegations by stating, “Well, I think they should vote their heart, and if they believe Tara Reade, they probably shouldn’t vote for me. I wouldn’t vote for me if I believed Tara Reade. The fact is that, look at Tara Reade’s story. It changes considerably. And so — but, I don’t want to question her motive. I don’t want to question anything, other than to say, the truth matters. This is being vetted. It’s been vetted. They went, and people interviewed scores of my employees over my whole career. This is just totally, thoroughly, completely out of character, and the idea that in a public place, in a hallway, I would assault a woman. … I promise you, it never happened. It should be vetted. She should be thoroughly looked at, and whether or not these happened, look at the story, follow the storyline, and determine whether there’s any truth to it, and there is no truth to it. I promise you.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
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