(VitalNews.org) – The woman who accused President Joe Biden of sexual assault when she worked as a staffer in his Senate office in 1993 is defecting to Russia.
Meanwhile, the White House is trying to calm rumors that Tara Reade, 59, might be working with Russian spy agencies to spread “disinformation.”
Reade went public with her accusations against Biden in 2020 but got very little attention in the media compared to the spotlight put on women who claimed sexual assault at the hands of Donald Trump. Last week, a jury awarded columnist E. Jean Carroll millions in damages after deciding Trump was liable for defaming her when Trump denied her claim that he raped her in a department store in the 1990s.
Tara Reade announced she defected to Russia in late May because she claims she does not feel safe with regard to the U.S. government. Reade is apparently seeking Russian citizenship. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said he would be “loath to comment on the musings” of an American seeking Russian citizenship.
But there is no evidence that Reade is working with any Russian propaganda effort, Kirby said. That doesn’t mean Reade’s defection might not be to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s benefit. Kirby said he wouldn’t be surprised if Putin were interested in putting obstacles in front of Biden’s 2024 presidential bid.
He claimed it was a “matter of record” that Russia interfered in American democracy, including the 2016 election of Donald Trump. Despite Kirby’s claims, independent and government investigations have discredited the claim that Russian meddling influenced the American electoral process.
Reade appeared on Russia’s state-owned news outlet Sputnik on May 30th. She said she felt safer there than in the U.S. She claimed that she received threats while in the U.S., though it is not clear who may have made them. Reade was joined by Russian operative Maria Butina, who said it was possible she could help Reade gain citizenship.
Copyright 2023, VitalNews.org
