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The NPR Politics Podcast

Former Staffer Accuses Joe Biden Of Sexual Assault

The NPR Politics Podcast

NPR

Daily News, Politics, News

4.425.7K Ratings

🗓️ 20 April 2020

⏱️ 13 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Note: This podcast contains an explicit description of an alleged sexual assault.

Tara Reade, a former junior staffer in Joe Biden's Senate office, has accused the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee of sexually assaulting her in 1993. The Biden campaign denies the accusation and says the alleged incident "absolutely did not happen."

This episode: White House correspondent Scott Detrow, congressional correspondent Susan Davis, and campaign correspondent Asma Khalid.

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Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Hey there, it's the NPR Politics Podcast.

0:05.9

I'm Scott Detreau, I cover the White House.

0:07.7

I'm Susan Davis, I cover Congress.

0:09.6

And I'm Asma Khaled, I'm covering the presidential campaign.

0:12.4

It is 210 Eastern on Monday, April 20th, and I want to flag that today's podcast will

0:17.2

contain some explicit content about sexual assault and it may not be suitable for all listeners.

0:23.4

A former junior staffer in Joe Biden's Senate office, Tara Reid, has accused Biden of sexually

0:29.2

assaulting her in 1993.

0:32.1

The Biden campaign denies the accusation and says the alleged incident quote absolutely

0:37.3

did not happen.

0:38.8

An Asma, you have reported the story out.

0:41.1

You spoke to Reid, you spoke to several people who worked in the office at the time, and

0:45.2

you spoke to the Biden campaign.

0:47.4

So let's start with Reid.

0:49.4

What is she alleging?

0:50.4

Well, I spoke to her multiple times and she told me that at some point in the spring

0:55.2

of 1993, she was asked by her then supervisor to deliver the stuffal bag to Joe Biden as he

1:00.6

was heading toward the Capitol.

1:02.5

And then she says when she met up with Biden to drop off that bag, this happened.

1:06.7

He put me up against the wall and his hands went underneath my clothing and he was touching

1:13.1

me in my private areas and without my consent.

1:16.4

She says that Joe Biden penetrated her vagina with his fingers.

...

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