Joe Concha on the media's smear campaign against Biden accuser Tara Reade
Media reporter for The Hill Joe Concha reacts to the about face on 'believe all women' in an effort to get Joe Biden elected.
The Intercept called out The New York Times over the weekend over a report published last year that suggested Joe Biden accuser Tara Reade was knowingly deceitful about her educational background, in what critics have said was part of a broader attempt to undermine her credibility after coming forward with a sexual assault allegation against the then-Democratic presidential candidate.
In a piece published Sunday about Reade's efforts to "correct the record" one year after she came forward with her claims, Intercept D.C. bureau chief Ryan Grim wrote about the ongoing "battle" between Reade, the Times and other major media organizations over their reporting on her tenure at Antioch University.
"The question of whether she graduated from the college where she later served on the faculty is complicated," Grim summarized. "The documents do make it clear, however, that the story Reade told of her graduation — that it was handled in a unique, private way due to her domestic violence-related legal name change — is consistent with the records in her file."
Grim later noted that reported claims that Reade never graduated nor was a faculty member at Antioch University "were major blows to Reade’s reputation."
The Intercept then cited an excerpt from a May 2020 Times report delving into Reade's background, which read in part: "She was so poor she had to borrow law books and occasionally brought her daughter to class when she couldn’t find child care. Her classmate Jenifer Robinson, who now practices law in Seattle, recalled her 'heavy, dark sadness' and said it 'appeared to be a real, genuine fear and was a huge part of her identity.' ... She also harbored a secret. She had never obtained the undergraduate degree required for law school admission."
"The claim that Reade 'harbored a secret' is unusual for the Times, as the paper often tells readers that while it can describe actions, it can’t penetrate the thoughts of its subjects in order to know whether they are lying," Grim reacted. "The Times story not only claimed that Reade hadn’t graduated but also that Reade knew she had not graduated, casting doubt on Reade’s explanation: that there was an arrangement between her college and law school that was connected to a protected program for domestic violence victims."
The Times did not immediately respond to Fox News' request for comment.
TARA READE'S TIMELINE: FROM 1990s BIDEN STAFFER TO CENTER OF POLITICAL FIRESTORM
Earlier this month, a lawyer for Reade sent a lengthy letter to the Times requesting a correction of its reporting of her story last year as well as "compensation" after the paper accidentally published her Social Security number.
"Tara engaged me to right an egregious wrong – your false publication implying she intentionally lied about her undergraduate credentials and faked her way into law school – a deliberate falsification that permanently blighted her reputation," attorney Moshe (Jeff) Admon wrote to Times executive editor Dean Baquet. "Your actions are deeply troubling, both by the irreparable damage they caused to Tara’s life and in the broader scope that a media outlet of your prominence can ruin the life of any private citizen in an instant."
A packet sent to the Times -- a copy of which was obtained by Fox News -- included a February letter sent from Antioch University's general counsel that confirmed Reade was enrolled from Fall 2000 through Spring 2001 and later worked for the university as a Prior Learning Evaluator from 2008-2010.
The packet also contained emails and other corroboration documenting Reade's tenure at the university and a 2005 "Certificate of Law Studies" from the Washington State Bar Association.
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A spokesperson for the Times told Fox News, "We believe our story is accurate." The spokesperson, however, did not respond to multiple inquiries about the requested compensation over Reade's leaked SSN.
Last year, Reade came forward with allegations that Biden sexually assaulted her in 1993 while she served as a Senate staffer. Both Biden and his campaign repeatedly denied her claims.
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