Senate denies Joe Biden’s request to search for records on Tara Reade’s allegations [Video]

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• The Senate secretary said that it has no authority over the disclosure of alleged assault records filed against Joe Biden.
• The Senate’s legal counsel also said it has no discretion about who will be allowed to acquire such records.
• The details surrounding Reade’s complaint, including what office she filed it remains unclear.

On Monday, the Senate secretary said that it has no discretion to release documents demanded by former vice president Joe Biden about a sexual attack claim by his former staff member.

Biden sent a request letter on Friday to the Senate secretary asking for tracing and disclosing to the public the ‘sexual harassment’ complaint Tara Reade filed against him while he was still a Senator in 1993.

In the letter, Biden asked to release not only any Reade’s complaint if it can be found, but also other records that might be related to the accusation.

The Secretary of the Senate said in a statement on Monday that it had referred the matter to the Senate Legal Counsel, and the department says it has no authority about the information being requested. The department also cited the reason for strict confidentiality in dealing with these types of documents.

On Monday, Biden’s camp, with its counsel, attorney Bob Bauer, replied by asking if verifying the existence of such record is also confidential.

Bauer also asked the office if there’s any person who is authorized to verify the record, such as Reade, and whether the Senate is allowed to disclose its protocol in dealing with similar complaints.

The Secretary’s office responded on Monday night through a statement, saying that releasing the documents are prohibited under the law.

When asked about the recent development, Reade avoided commenting on the matter.

Reade previously accused Biden of sexually molesting her in 1993 and said she talked about the incident to several coworkers in Biden’s Senate office. She said she formally filed a complaint against the then-senator for making here ‘uncomfortable’, but not about the sexual attack.

Reade also claimed she formally made a complaint on Capitol Hill’s personnel department then but admitted she doesn’t have a copy of the record.

Up to now, the type of complaint and what specific office Reade filed it was still uncertain.

On Friday, Biden finally broke his silence by denying any involvement in Reade’s allegation.

Biden’s senate executive assistant between the 1980s and 1990s, Marianne Baker, has previously stated that she never knew of any inappropriate act complaint at the time, Reade’s allegation included.

His former Senate deputy chief of staff, Dennis Toner, whom Reade claimed she shared her assault experience with, said to an interview with CNN that he does not recall having the discussion with her.

Source: CNN Politics