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Spokeswoman Says DC Police Are Investigating Sexual Assault Claim Against Joe Biden

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David Krayden Ottawa Bureau Chief
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District of Columbia police are investigating a sexual assault accusation leveled against presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden by former staffer Tara Reade.

“This is an active, ongoing investigation that is part of our regular review process, ” Christine Metzger, Metropolitan Police Department public affairs officer, told the Daily Caller on Wednesday.

WILMINGTON, DE - MARCH 12: Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden delivers remarks about the coronavirus outbreak, at the Hotel Du Pont March 12, 2020 in Wilmington, Delaware. Health officials say 11,000 people have been tested for the Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the U.S. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden delivers remarks about the coronavirus outbreak, at the Hotel Du Pont March 12, 2020 in Wilmington, Delaware. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Metzger confirmed that police have launched the investigation despite the statute of limitations barring authorities from prosecuting Biden if indicted for the incident. She added that this is part of the “external review process.”

The Washington Examiner first reported on the investigation.

Metzger also told the Daily Caller that she did not know at this time how the police would proceed when the authorities complete their investigation and could not speculate on what, if any, actions would occur if Reade’s accusations are verified. (RELATED: Alyssa Milano Says Joe Biden Deserves ‘Due Process’ In Sexual Assault Accusation)

Reade, who worked for Biden when he was a Democratic senator from Delaware, accused the former vice president in an interview published March 25 of forcibly putting his fingers into her genitals while the two were working in his Washington, D.C. office. The Biden campaign has denied the story.

“What is clear about this claim: it is untrue. This absolutely did not happen,” Biden spokeswoman Kate Bedingfield insisted in a statement.

Despite the severity of the claim, the media has largely ignored the allegation and not directly questioned Biden about the alleged incident, choosing instead to quiz the former vice president on his assessment of President Donald Trump’s handling of the coronavirus crisis.

Biden has also been hosting daily monologues, live-streamed from his Delaware home, that have not mentioned or responded to the accusation.

Candidate Joe Biden Delivers Remarks On Coronavirus Outbreak

Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden delivers remarks about the coronavirus outbreak, at the Hotel Du Pont March 12, 2020 in Wilmington, Delaware. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

During a segment on “The View,” Biden was asked a series of questions that also never mentioned Reade’s story. (RELATED: NYT Executive Editor Appears To Admit Edit On Biden Sexual Assault Allegation Came After Pressure From Biden Campaign)

The New York Times apparently edited a story that provided some details about the accusation against Biden. After posting “Examining Tara Reade’s Sexual Assault Allegation Against Joe Biden,” the editors then redacted a portion of the article that discussed Biden’s history of touching women without their consent. The Times did not mention the deletion to its readers.