TARA READE

Three months after a damaging scandal forced the departure of its top leader, Time’s Up is announcing a “major reset,” pledging to rebuild from the ground up.

The White House dismissed a sexual assault allegation against President Joe Biden as “heavily litigated during the campaign” when asked if he should face the same kind of sexual harassment investigation as embattled New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Andrew Cuomo, D-N.Y., speaks during a virtual meeting of the National Governors Association, in the South Court Auditorium on the White House campus, Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021, in Washington. But what President Biden said is, ‘We should do an investigation.’ I agree with him on that. When asked repeatedly about the allegations, White House press secretary Jen Psaki has recited the response that the women should be heard and the investigations should continue. But the constant drip of allegations from Albany has become harder for Biden to ignore. Their orbits are intertwined; a number of Democrats have worked for both men in their roles as senator, vice president, governor and housing secretary.

Andrew Cuomo, D-N.Y., speaks during a virtual meeting of the National Governors Association, in the South Court Auditorium on the White House campus, Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021, in Washington. But what President Biden said is, ‘We should do an investigation.’ I agree with him on that. When asked repeatedly about the allegations, White House press secretary Jen Psaki has recited the response that the women should be heard and the investigations should continue. But the constant drip of allegations from Albany has become harder for Biden to ignore. Their orbits are intertwined; a number of Democrats have worked for both men in their roles as senator, vice president, governor and housing secretary.

We are investigating whether Ms. McCabe gave false testimony under oath, Chief Assistant District Attorney Berkley Brannon of Monterey County said Wednesday. She comes to court and says hes probably lying (the second time) because it was a domestic violence situation, said Roland Soltesz, who represented Ramirez. When she started testifying, she immediately started talking about Joe Biden and the Violence Against Women Act. Her career experience includes several stints working with domestic violence organizations, along with work with animal rescue groups. Biden has vehemently denied her claims, and current and former Biden staffers say they cannot recall such an incident.

FILE - In this August 23, 2011 file photo, attorney Douglas Wigdor reacts during a press conference in Paris. Douglas Wigdor said in a statement the decision to drop Reade came on Wednesday of this week, and that it wasnt a reflection on the veracity of her claims. Biden has vehemently denied her claims, and multiple current and former Biden staffers have said they have no recollection of such an incident. Wigdor fielded numerous media questions in recent weeks surrounding inconsistencies in Reades biography and the legal challenges shes faced. Wigdor's firm originally said in a statement that they had taken on Reade as a client because they believed every survivor has the right to competent counsel."

Reade said in an interview with journalist Megyn Kelly that she wanted to tell Biden, who strongly denies her claim, "You and I were there, Joe Biden. Asked if she wants an apology from Biden, Reade answered, "I think it's a little late." Joe Biden should take the polygraph," Reade said. "So I will take one if Joe Biden takes one," she added. The New York firm Wigdor LLP said in a statement Thursday that it had been retained by Reade as legal counsel.

Former Vice President Joe Biden (D) speaks about the Coronavirus and the response to it at the Hotel Du Pont in Wilmington, DE. That alleged complaint would be about harassment that Tara Reade, the former staffer, says she experienced working in Biden's office, not the alleged sexual assault. Noting the confidentiality requirements and "the Senate's own direction that disclosure of Senate records is not authorized if prohibited by law," the Senate secretary's office concluded it had "no discretion to disclose any such information as requested in Vice President Biden's letter." Can the Senate release any procedural materials including "any standard forms or instructions" that the 1993 office would have used in processing a complaint such as Reade's? NBC News has reached out to the Senate secretary about whether Reade could be given access to the complaint she says she filed, if it exists.

She did not raise allegations of sexual assault against Biden until this year, around the time he became the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. On Friday, Reade said she was referring to having "chickened out" by not filing full harassment or assault allegations against Biden. One, a former neighbor, said Reade told her about the alleged assault a few years after Reade said it happened. The other, a former coworker, said Reade told her she had been sexually harassed by her boss during her previous job in Washington. One friend, who knew Reade in 1993, said Reade told them about the alleged assault when it happened.

Im saying unequivocally it never, never happened, Biden told MSNBC in an interview when asked about the accusation, which his campaign had also previously denied. Another friend told the Times that Reade told her in 2008 about a previous traumatic incident involving Biden. Reade, 56, told media interviewers she complained at the time about sexual harassment, though not sexual assault, to three of Bidens Senate aides. The Biden campaign released a statement from one, Marianne Baker, who said she never received any report of inappropriate behavior in nearly 20 years of working for Biden. Some prominent Democratic women had stepped forward to defend Biden, who was President Barack Obamas vice president, and others had asked him to address the accusation.

Im saying unequivocally it never, never happened, Biden told MSNBC in an interview when asked about the accusation, which his campaign had previously denied. In a statement before the interview, Biden called on the U.S. Senate to ask the National Archives to release any personnel records that could indicate whether the aide filed a complaint against Biden at the time. Another friend told the Times that Reade told her in 2008 about a previous traumatic incident involving Biden. Reade, 56, told media interviewers she complained at the time about sexual harassment, though not sexual assault, to three of Bidens Senate aides. The Biden campaign released a statement from one, Marianne Baker, who said she never received any report of inappropriate behavior in nearly 20 years of working for Biden.

President Donald Trump, who has been accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women, advised former Vice President Joe Biden to "fight" a sexual assault allegation against him from 27 years ago. "I would just say to Joe Biden, 'Just go out and fight it,'" Trump said in an interview with conservative radio host Dan Bongino. Trump himself has been accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women. In a statement released just before the interview, Biden cited "the full and growing record of inconsistencies" in the accusations and said: "They aren't true. Multiple other women have accused Biden of inappropriate and unwanted touching since he launched his campaign a year ago.

But his decision to hold back his Senate records spurred a new round of criticism from Republicans and anxiety among Democrats. Womens rights advocates welcomed Bidens statements but continued to emphasize the importance of transparency and of taking sexual assault claims seriously. We have reached a pivotal moment in our nation when candidates for president are accused of sexual assault, Tchen said. California Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Dublin) broke ranks with the Biden campaign on the issue Friday. He said on Fox News that he believed the Biden records should be searched for any evidence of a complaint by Reade.

Joe Biden on Friday categorically denied the sexual assault allegation threatening to disrupt his presidential campaign, breaking weeks of silence on the issue. Many of the records from Biden's senate office remain under seal at the University of Delaware until Biden retires from public life. In his Friday statement, Biden said the archive does not contain personnel files. Amid Biden's silence on the sexual assault allegation, a number of his potential running mates, including Sens. Her assault allegations, however, were not made public until March.

Bidens campaign has said the incident never occurred. Two more women corroborated part of Reades allegation in interviews with Business Insider. A Biden campaign spokesman declined to comment on Wednesday about the new sources or calls for Biden to respond. Reuters has not been able to independently confirm Reades allegation and was also unable to reach Reade or a representative for comment. In a memo to the media on Wednesday, Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh said Biden was seeking to shield himself from criticism by avoiding personally addressing Reades allegation.

Top Democrats are rallying behind Biden, and there are no available records from the time substantiating his accusers account. Prominent Democratic women backing Biden say they are not persuaded. This whole picture that is painted to me does not ring true, former California Sen. Barbara Boxer, a longtime crusader for womens rights, said of the Reade allegations. The many allegations of sexual harassment and assault against Trump do not appear to be giving Republican officials pause. Tara Reade may have credible allegations, and also, Joe Biden would be a much, much better president than Donald Trump.

Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden addresses the crowd during a South Carolina campaign launch party on February 11, 2020 in Columbia, South Carolina. Deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield told NBC in a statement, "He firmly believes that women have a right to be heard and heard respectfully." In her complaint, Reade said she was serving as an aide to then-Sen. Biden in the spring of 1993. She told police in he recent complaint that Biden used his fingers to penetrate her after she gave him a gym bag. Reade's accusation against Biden has gained attention at a time when the former longtime senator from Delaware was preparing to fully pivot to face President Donald Trump in the election this fall.