31st May 2023 – (Washington) Former Joe Biden staffer Tara Reade, who accused the now-president of sexual assault during the 2020 presidential race, has asked for Russian citizenship in a recent interview with Russian press outlet Sputnik. Reade, who worked in Biden’s congressional office for a short period in 1993, claimed she wanted to stay in Russia after a Republican lawmaker warned her she was in physical danger. The 59-year-old arrived in Russia as a vacationer, and in the interview, she claimed to feel safe and respected. Reade’s allegations against Biden surfaced in early 2020, with her claiming that he sexually assaulted her in a Capitol Hill corridor in August 1993 when she was 29 years old.
At the time, Reade’s allegations generated significant media attention and scrutiny. However, Biden categorically denied her claims, stating that they were unequivocally false, and no record of the complaint she filed after the alleged incident has been found. In her interview with Sputnik, Reade claimed that she was threatened with prison, and her life was threatened after making her allegations public in 2020. She also called herself a geopolitical analyst and said she did not see Russia as an enemy.
During the interview, Reade appeared alongside Maria Butina, a current member of Russia’s parliament who was arrested and imprisoned in Washington in July 2018 as an alleged spy for Russia. Butina was released in October 2019 and deported. Reade praised Butina andother Russians for providing her with protection when she did not feel safe in the US, adding that she had always loved Russia and did not see it as an enemy. While Reade wants to retain her US citizenship, she requested that Russian President Vladimir Putin grant her Russian citizenship, promising to be a good citizen.
Reade’s allegations against Biden came at a time when he was running against incumbent President Donald Trump, who himself faced accusations of sexual abuse and rape. While Biden denied the allegations, they still raised questions about his behavior towards women. The allegations also highlighted the importance of addressing sexual assault and harassment in the workplace and the need to ensure that victims feel safe and heard when coming forward.
Reade’s decision to request Russian citizenship has sparked controversy, with some viewing it as a political move and others expressing concerns about her safety. However, Reade’s claims about feeling safe and respected in Russia have raised questions about the state of women’s rights and safety in the US and other countries. The issue of sexual harassment and assault is a global problem that affects women of all ages and backgrounds, and more needs to be done to address it.