Hillary Clinton endorses Joe Biden, ignores sexual assault claim against former vice president
Reaction from Judge Jeanine Pirro, host of 'Justice.'
Biden accuser Tara Reade had a stern message for the Hollywood A-listers associated with the Time's Up organization who have remained silent after she alleged she was sexually assaulted by Joe Biden in the early 1990s.
"Why have you made sexual assault and sexual harassment a partisan issue?" Reade said in an interview with Fox News, addressing the celebrities who have advocated for assault victims in the past. "Why aren't you looking at the veracity of my claim, looking at that I'm willing to go under oath, that I made a police report, that I worked for Joe Biden?"
Reade says Biden suddenly reached under her skirt and penetrated her with his fingers when she worked for the Delaware senator in 1993. Biden has vigorously denied the charge.
"You should be able to have your voice heard without losing your career and losing your job. And that's what your whole mission is about. Why do I not qualify for your mission?" Read said. "Why, because my perpetrator is the leading Democrat? Why does that exempt me from help?"
Time's Up recruited plenty of big names when it was founded in 2018. Bold-faced names on its the "Global Leadership Board" include actresses Alyssa Milano, Julianne Moore, Reese Witherspoon, Brie Larson, Kerry Washington, Jessica Chastain, America Ferrera, Natalie Portman, and former daytime talk show host Oprah Winfrey. CNN commentators Ana Navarro and Hilary Rosen sit on the governing board of directors, according to the foundation's website.
Reade said she sought help from the Time's Up Legal Defense Fund in January to help defray the costs of PR and legal fees before going public in March with her sexual assault allegation against former Biden. However, while the organization offered attorney referrals, she said they denied her funding, citing concerns it could affect its nonprofit 501(c)(3) status as her allegation is against a politician actively running for office.
Reade singled out Time's Up member Alyssa Milano, who defended Biden, whom she had already endorsed, after being a vocal opponent of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh when he faced his own allegations during his confirmation in 2018 against Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, which Kavanaugh vehemently denied.
JOE BIDEN SUPPORTER ALYSSA MILANO CHANGES TUNE ON HIS ACCUSER TARA READE AMID NEW DEVELOPMENTS
"I think we need to compare how she responded to Brett Kavanaugh... quite different than the talking points she [used] regarding Joe Biden," Reade told Fox News. "She never reached out to me. I don't really want to amplify her voice because I feel like she hijacked my narrative for a while and framed it about herself... she knows nothing about it."
Reade blasted the former "Charmed" star for suggesting that Time's Up didn't take her claims seriously and "made it sound like that there was no veracity to my claims."
Milano "only knows Joe Biden, so she doesn't know me and has never talked to me. So, how could she possibly talk about the case?" Reade asked. "She went on an interview... saying that Time's Up rejected me and that's not true."
Milano appeared to change her stance on Reade's claims on Monday night after more corroboration surfaced.
“I’m aware of the new developments in Tara Reade’s accusation against Joe Biden. I want Tara, like every other survivor, to have the space to be heard and seen without being used as fodder,” Milano tweeted. “I hear and see you, Tara.”
Representatives for Milano did not immediately respond to Fox News' request for comment regarding the status of her Biden endorsement.
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Reade's 1993 claim has received some backup in recent days. A "Larry King Live" clip from 1993 was unearthed on Friday purportedly featured Reade's mother calling into the show anonymously and alluding to her daughter's "problems" with a "prominent senator." Reade confirmed to Fox News it was her mother's voice on the call. On Monday, two more people, a former neighbor and a former colleague of Reade's, remembered conversations they had with her back in the 1990s. One remembered her account of the alleged assault, and another remembered her mentioning harassment, but not assault.
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