Biden may have incidentally provided Trump campaign with a new point of attack
Former Vice President Joe Biden didn't seem to be doing himself any favors Friday when he refused to unseal the senatorial papers he sent to the University of Delaware amid accusations of sexual assault made by his former staffer, Tara Reade, Politico reports.
Biden finally addressed the allegations Friday, claiming they weren't true. He went on to say that any complaint filed by Reade (Reade said she didn't mention the alleged assault in her complaint, but that he "made her feel uncomfortable") about the alleged incident wouldn't be found among his papers, but rather in the National Archives. Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, asked the National Archives to release whatever they come across. But things got complicated when the National Archives said personnel records are actually held by the Senate, whose rules say they're actually held by the General Services Administration, which said they're actually held by, you guessed it, the National Archives.
The confusion quickly lit a spark among President Trump's re-election campaign that will likely keep burning throughout the cycle. "The most transparent thing Joe Biden did this morning was admit that he is hiding documents so they can't be used against him," said Emma Vaughn, Florida press secretary for the Republican National Committee, in a statement.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Of course, it's not only Biden's GOP opponents who want to know more about Reade's allegations — many Democrats are also pushing for the case to be scrutinized more closely, and opening up the Delaware archives would be one way to start. However, several people told Politico that it's standard to keep those documents under wraps while a politician is still active. Read more at Politico.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
Will Trump’s $12 billion bailout solve the farm crisis?Today’s Big Question Agriculture sector says it wants trade, not aid
-
‘City leaders must recognize its residents as part of its lifeblood’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
10 upcoming albums to stream during the winter chillThe Week Recommends As the calendar turns to 2026, check out some new music from your favorite artists
-
Senate votes down ACA subsidies, GOP alternativeSpeed Read The Senate rejected the extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits, guaranteeing a steep rise in health care costs for millions of Americans
-
Abrego García freed from jail on judge’s orderSpeed Read The wrongfully deported man has been released from an ICE detention center
-
Indiana Senate rejects Trump’s gerrymander pushSpeed Read The proposed gerrymander would have likely flipped the state’s two Democratic-held US House seats
-
Democrat files to impeach RFK Jr.Speed Read Rep. Haley Stevens filed articles of impeachment against Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
-
$1M ‘Trump Gold Card’ goes live amid travel rule furorSpeed Read The new gold card visa offers an expedited path to citizenship in exchange for $1 million
-
US seizes oil tanker off VenezuelaSpeed Read The seizure was a significant escalation in the pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro
-
Judge orders release of Ghislaine Maxwell recordsSpeed Read The grand jury records from the 2019 prosecution of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein will be made public
-
Miami elects first Democratic mayor in 28 yearsSpeed Read Eileen Higgins, Miami’s first woman mayor, focused on affordability and Trump’s immigration crackdown in her campaign
