New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said in an interview with NPR that the sexual assault allegations against former Vice President Joe Biden are not “clear cut,” but indicated she thinks “something” happened.
“It certainly seems as though something has happened. I’m not sure,” Ocasio-Cortez told NPR about the allegation.
“Frankly, this is a messy moment, and I think we need to acknowledge that–that it is not clear-cut,” she is also quoted as saying.
Reade alleges that Biden inappropriately touched her and penetrated her with his fingers without her consent in 1993. Biden strongly denied the allegation on live TV last week.
She also said that too many people are focusing on the politics rather than Reade’s story.
“Instead of focusing on her account, instead of focusing on her story as a survivor, people are fast forwarding to the political implications,” she told the outlet, saying that focusing only on politics “denies justice” to her.
“If anything, it sounds like she simply wants to be heard…It seems as though she does not feel she’s been heard yet,” the congresswoman also said.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) leaves the U.S. Capitol after passage of the stimulus bill known as the CARES Act on March 27, 2020 in Washington, DC. The stimulus bill is intended to combat the economic effects caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images
Ocasio-Cortez first acknowledged the allegation last month, saying that it was “legitimate to talk about.”
Reade thanked her when she made that statement, but told the Daily Caller News Foundation that the congresswoman still “had to toe the line” on supporting Biden. (RELATED: ‘I Want The Same Equal Treatment’: Biden Accuser Tara Reade Tears Into Media, Women’s Groups, Democratic Politicians)
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that she believed Biden and that the allegations were a “closed issue” during a TV appearance this week.