Tara Reade, the former Senate staffer to Joe Biden who accused him of sexual assault during the 2020 presidential election, has now defected to Russia.
Reade made her defection known in an interview with the pro-Vladimir Putin outlet Sputnik during a press conference.
“I’m still kind of in a daze a bit but I feel very good,” Reade said. “I feel very surrounded by protection and safety.”
According to The Guardian, Tara Reade was joined by Maria Butina, “a convicted Russian agent jailed in the US but now a member of parliament in Russia.”
In March of 2020, Tara Reade claimed that then-senator Joe Biden sexually assaulted her while she served as an aide in his Senate offices during the Clinton administration. Shortly thereafter, she detailed her account in multiple interviews and filed a criminal complaint against the former vice president with the Washington, D.C., police department.
A former neighbor of Reade and Reade’s brother have both publicly stated that Reade told them of the alleged assault in the 1990s. Evidence also suggests that Reade’s mother called into CNN’s Larry King in the 1990s to complain about a prominent senator with whom her daughter had “problems.”
Biden has denied the accusation.
During her press conference, Reade said that she appreciated Maria and others who gave her protection, implying that her life would be in danger had she stayed in the United States.
I just really so appreciate Maria and everyone who’s been giving me [protection] at a time when it’s been very difficult to know if I’m safe or not,” she said. “I just didn’t want to walk home and walk into a cage or be killed, which is basically my two choices.”
Reade told Sputnik that her decision to defect to Russia came with much consideration, asserting she did not take it lightly.
“I’m not an impulsive person. I really take my time and sort of analyze data points,” she said. “And from what I could see based on the cases and based on what was happening and sort of the push for them to not want me to testify, I felt that while [the 2024] election is gearing up and there’s so much at stake, I’m almost better off here and just being safe. My dream is to live in both places, but it may be that I only live in this place and that’s OK.”
Reade then apologized to her “Russian brothers and sisters” for the Biden administration’s efforts in Ukraine amid Vladimir Putin’s invasion.
“I’m sorry right now that American elites are choosing to have such an aggressive stance. Just know that most American citizens do want to be friends and hope that we can have unity again.
“I am enjoying my time in Moscow, and I feel very at home,” she said.
Tara Reade would be joining former NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden as one of the most prominent Americans to defect to Russia.
House Republicans had hoped to have Tara Reade testify in Congress. Earlier this month, she issued a cryptic statement saying her life could be in danger.
“I want to make something clear. If something happens to me, all roads lead to Joe Biden,” Reade wrote . “Joe Biden and DNC political machine threats, bullying and intimidation over the last three years will not work.”
“I am not suicidal,” she added.
Paul Roland Bois joined Breitbart News in 2021. He also directed the award-winning feature film, EXEMPLUM, which can be viewed on Tubi, Google Play, YouTube Movies, or Vimeo on Demand. Follow him on Twitter @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.