Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden finally addressed allegations from a former Senate staffer that he sexually assaulted her in the early 1990s, saying “this never happened.” Biden’s first public remarks on Friday the allegation come at a critical moment for the presumptive Democratic nominee as he tries to relieve mounting pressure after weeks of silence.
Biden has been accused of sexual assault by a former staffer, Tara Reade.
Critics quickly pounced, noting that Biden failed to address the corroborating witnesses — including an alleged phone call to CNN by Reade’s mother and a neighbor’s account.
“I’m saying unequivocally, it never, never happened,” Biden said in an interview on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”
“The former staffer has said she filed a complaint back in 1993,” Biden said. “But she does not have a record of this alleged complaint. The papers from my Senate years that I donated to the University of Delaware do not contain personnel files.”
MSNBC host Mika Brzeinski asked Biden about the hypocrisy between his denial and what he said about Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Biden said he had a right to be believed.
Mika Brzeinski calls out Joe Biden for hypocrisy on Brett Kavanaugh allegations. pic.twitter.com/5v0Yj5ZXs1
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) May 1, 2020
Republicans have seized on the allegation to portray Democrats as hypocrites who only defend women who allege wrongdoing against conservatives.
Democrats, meanwhile, are in an awkward position between claiming they “believe all women” while defending the man who will be their standard-bearer in the 2020 election.
“The campaign has issued statements, but he hasn’t issued any statements in his own voice,” said former Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Donna Brazile. “It’s not helping, it’s just damaging — not only to the person who has come forward, but it’s also damaging the candidate.”
The November contest between Biden and Trump will be the first presidential race of the #MeToo era, which has led numerous women to come forward with allegations of sexual assault. Trump has also been accused of inappropriate behavior by a few women, allegations he denies.
Women are a core constituency for Democrats, and Biden has a mixed history. He’s come under heavy criticism for his handling of Anita Hill’s Senate testimony in the 1990s. Just before he launched his 2020 campaign, several women accused him of unwanted touching.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told Fox News on Thursday that Biden will “have to participate in releasing all the information related to” the allegation, a stance he didn’t take when Trump faced misconduct accusations.
The GOP argues Democrats aren’t being consistent, pointing to aggressive questioning and coverage of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh when he faced an allegation of sexual assault.
Speaking about the allegation for the first time on Thursday, Trump said Biden “should respond” before proceeding to criticize the treatment of Kavanaugh as “an absolute disgrace to our country.”
Steve Guest, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee, said “the left, and their media allies, has one standard for Republicans and another standard for Democrats like Joe Biden.”
“The double standard,” he said, “is appalling.”
READ MORE: Biden vs. Brett Kavanaugh — a media comparison
The Associated Press contributed to this article