A former Congressional staffer who accused President Joe Biden of sexual assault during the 2020 presidential race has requested Russian citizenship.
While speaking with Russian news agency, Sputnik, Tara Reade formally requested Russian citizenship, promising Russian president Vladimir Putin that she would be a “good citizen,” CBS News reported. Reade, who had reportedly been vacationing in Russia before her announcement, told the outlet her decision was based on the way she has been treated in the U.S. since coming forward with allegations that she had been sexually assaulted by then-Senator Biden in 1993.
“When I got off the plane in Moscow, for the first time in a very long time, I felt safe. And I felt heard and felt respected,” she said, according to CBS News.
Tara Reade, the former Senate aide who accused President Biden of sexual assault as he ran for president in 2020, said on Tuesday that she had moved to Russia and was seeking citizenship there, according to Sputnik, a Russian-government-run news site.https://t.co/5bUL172VgW
— The New York Times (@nytimes) May 31, 2023
In an interview with podcast host Katie Halper in 2020, Reade alleged Biden had pinned her up against a wall and penetrated her with his fingers, claiming the senator remarked, ‘Come on man, I heard you liked me.” when she pulled away.
Biden flatly denied Reade’s claims, saying “unequivocally” in May 2020, the assault “never, never happened.”
After Reade made the allegations against Biden, the Department of Justice (DOJ) sent a subpoena to Twitter probing for information on the former Congressional staffer’s accounts. Reade wasn’t sure why her accounts were of interest to the FBI but surmised it had something to do with her accusations against Biden. (RELATED: Tara Reade Says She IS Willing To Testify Under Oath)
“Other than coming forward about Joe Biden, there would be no reason for them to do that,” she said.
Reade told Sputnik the allegations she made against Biden had resulted in threats made against her life, as well as warnings of possible prison time when she was dubbed a Russian agent, CBS News reported. Reade told Sputnik that with the upcoming 2024 election, she felt that she was “better off” in Russia.