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Joe Biden begins the electoral campaign against Donald Trump with a tailwind. Get the help you need most. But at the same time, a former employee makes serious accusations.
Within 24 hours, Joe Biden won the top two supporters for his plan to kick Donald Trump out of the White House.
On Monday afternoon, Joe Biden appeared with his strongest competitor so far, of course only virtually: Bernie Sanders, who had fought a duel with Biden, officially assured his rival of his support a few days after his own withdrawal from the race. And on Tuesday morning, Barack Obama spoke with a twelve-minute video message: His former Vice President Biden could lead the United States in “one of the darkest moments” in its history. It would bring decency, knowledge and dignity to the White House.
Barack Obama and Joe Biden at the inauguration of Donald Trump in 2017: The former president officially announced his support for Biden’s candidacy. (Source: File Image / Saul Loeb / Reuters)
These two messages are crucial for Biden to rally the party behind him after his de facto primary victory. Sanders leads a highly motivated grassroots movement against young leftists. Obama is still adored at the base anyway.
Obama works behind the scenes
Biden, 77, barely sparked enthusiasm, especially among youth and supporters on the left. A series of Democrats should be decisive in dealing with Trump, who has gathered the Republicans behind him.
Consequently, “endorsements,” as such official support addresses in the United States are called, have been meticulously prepared. It was Obama himself who had numerous behind-the-scenes conversations. The former president had officially stayed out of the party’s career, but had recently spoken to several retired candidates and four times to Sanders, according to the New York Times.
The current United States presidential campaign is beginning six months before the election date. With the progressive Sanders on the left, Biden wants to establish joint task forces, Obama will raise donations for Biden and campaign, “as soon as he can,” he said, referring to the restrictions of the crown.
Allegation of sexual assault.
But for Biden, the tail wind coincides with a serious accusation that is raised against him. A former employee of Biden’s office in the United States Senate charged him with sexual assault in 1993. Tara Reade, now 56, said the former senator touched her in the genital area against her will at the time.
There were complaints against Biden a year ago when he was preparing to run for president. It was hugs and caresses that several women perceived as intrusive. At the time, Reade also alleged that Biden had touched his neck and shoulders inappropriately. But now Reade Biden accuses something more dramatic: a clear sexual assault.
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This is said to have taken place in the halls of the United States Congress in the spring of 1993. Biden denied the allegations. Her spokesperson emphasized that Biden firmly believed that women had the right to be respectfully heard on such charges. “Such claims must be examined by an independent press.” But it is clear from this accusation: “It does not apply. This absolutely did not happen.”
Debate on credibility and reporting
Because Biden is now starting the election campaign against Trump, the woman’s accusations and dealings with the public are also involved in the party-political dispute.
On March 25, Reade podcast a moderator, who considers himself a supporter of then-Biden’s competitor Sanders, for the first time in detail about his allegations.
Joe Biden in 1993 as part of a delegation of the United States Senate in Sarajevo: this year, the accusation of sexual harassment of his employee drops. (Source: Chris Helgren / Reuters)
“New York Times” and “Washington Post” recently reported on the case. Meanwhile, his reporters were in contact with Reade, his confidants, and former Biden employees. The mainstream media intoned the case cautiously: in contrast to other cases during the #MeToo debate, they were unable to bring similar charges against Biden.
Accordingly, Reade previously informed some confidants of a general term. But Biden employees at the time could not recall any complaints from them and emphasized that the allegations did not fit the picture. No official complaint can be found that Reade, according to his own statements, made at the time of the incident regarding Biden’s handling of his case in the US Congressional personnel administration. USA
“Trump will destroy him”
Reade has given Internet credit to Vladimir Putin in recent years and most recently in the pre-election campaign as a Sanders supporter, but stressed that his accusations had nothing to do with politics.
The Trump campaign team, as so often, accused the media of bias because the allegations were initially unreported. Trump himself has been accused of sexual assault by more than a dozen women. In a recording that was made public, he himself bragged about reaching women with unpunished genitalia.
The allegations against Biden could still give the Trumps team new ammunition. While former President Obama praised Biden’s values of decency and dignity in his support, Trump’s campaign manager Brad Parscale used Obama’s comments for this comment on Biden: “President Trump will destroy him.”
