Biden's call for 'transparency' during Dem debate comes back to haunt him

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Biden fails to address sexual assault allegation

Former staffer Tara Reade publicly accuses Joe Biden of sexual assault in a podcast, as he continues to remain silent; Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy reports.

Former Vice President Joe Biden had gone over a month without addressing the explosive sexual assault allegation made by his former Senate staffer Tara Reade, but he had quite a different tune during one of the Democratic debates earlier this year.

Back in February, during former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's underwhelming run for president, the billionaire businessman was pummelled by his competitors over not releasing former female employees from their non-disclosure agreements (NDA).

And while Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., is remembered for her fierce line of attacks at the two debates with Bloomberg, Biden also squeezed in some punches of his own.

"Let's get something straight here. It's easy. All the mayor has to do is say, 'You are released from the non-disclosure agreement. Period," Biden said in an edited clip preserved on his Twitter account. "This is about transparency from the very beginning. Whether it's your health records, whether it's your taxes, whether you have cases against you, whether or not people have signed non-disclosure agreements."

TARA READE SAYS SENATE PERSONNEL COMPLAINT WOULD PROVE BIDEN'S FORMER STAFF 'LIED' TO PRESS

His shaming of Bloomberg continued, "You think that women, in fact, were ready to say, 'I don't want anybody to know about what you did to me.' That's not how it works. The way it works is they say, 'Look, this is what you did to me' and the mayor comes along and his attorneys say, 'I will give you this amount of money if you promise you'll never say anything. That's how it works.

The tweet, which was made on February 20, also read, "Let me be clear: Mayor Bloomberg should release folks from their non-disclosure agreements. This is about transparency. The American people deserve to know the truth."

Biden has been criticized for lack of transparency. The presumptive Democratic nominee is set to break his silence on Friday.

There have also been growing calls for him to unseal his Senate records that are being held at the University of Delaware, where Reade believes her sexual harassment complaint she filed to the Senate personnel office is being held and further corroborate her claims.

However, the university says the records will remain sealed until at least two years after Biden leaves public life.

"I'm calling for the release of the documents being held by the University of Delaware that contain Biden's staff personnel records because I believe it will have my complaint form, as well as my separation letter and other documents," Reade has told Fox News. "Maybe if other staffers that have tried to file complaints would come to light -- why are they under seal? And why won't they be released to the public?"

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The editorial board of The Washington Post joined that call, urging Biden on Wednesday to address the allegations and "release relevant records."

Biden is set to address the allegations for the first time on Friday. It is unknown if he will be asked whether he would be willing to unseal his Senate records.

His campaign has denied Reade's allegations.