Fox News anchor Dana Perino wasn’t about to let former DNC chair Donna Brazile “off the hook” regarding sexual harassment allegations against former Vice President Joe Biden.
Discussing the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee’s vehement denial with Brazile and former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer on Friday’s “The Daily Briefing,” Perino questioned each panelist on Biden’s performance Friday morning on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”
WATCH:
After Fleischer weighed in by accusing Biden of “hypocrisy” for not applying the same standard of justice to Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Brazille called the former vice president’s performance “straightforward.”
“He finally came out and said what many of us have counseled him, and that is to tell the truth and to lay out the facts,” said Brazile, adding that Democrats “have written the playbook” over the last three decades on “believing women.”
“We are talking about women who have come forward to tell their story,” she said. “To make sure that they are heard and respected, and that is what Joe Biden requested, that it be investigated, that she be believed, and that she be heard. I have heard from Tara Reade, I did not hear from Joe Biden. That’s why I was grateful to hear from him today. She has already spoken. Maybe not on network TV and cable television, but I’m glad that she will get another opportunity to tell her story.”
“Do you believe Reade?” Fleischer jumped in to ask.
“I have heard what she has said on TV,” Brazile responded. “She has given interviews. We have heard from her, but we respect women. That’s the whole bottom line.”
Brazile’s dog barked several times during the subsequent exchange, briefly distracting Brazile, but Perino continued to press for a direct answer:
“I don’t want to let you off the hook here, do you believe Tara Reade?” she asked. (RELATED: Joe Biden Has A Long History Of Opposing Due Process In Sexual Assault Cases)
“I believe Joe Biden is telling the truth,” said Brazile. “I also believe that Tara Reade, who first said it was sexual harassment, and now said it’s sexual assault. I believe she has every opportunity to be respected and to tell her story. That’s what happened. That’s what happens when you come forward. You have to tell your story …”