The law firm representing Tara Reade sent a letter to Joe Biden calling on him to open up his University of Delaware archives for a search of all records related to Reade’s alleged sexual harassment claim.
The letter, which was obtained by the Washington Examiner, was emailed Monday by attorney Douglas Wigdor to Biden’s presidential campaign and says that “Reade … is entitled to the process she deserves.”
Biden has unequivocally denied Reade’s allegation that he sexually harassed and assaulted her in 1993 when she worked as an aide in his Senate office and said her story is riddled with “inconsistencies” and has “changed repeatedly in both small and big ways.”
“We hereby request that you immediately open up your Archives at the University of Delaware and authorize a search to determine whether they contain any records related to Ms. Reade, including, but not limited to, Ms. Reade’s Request for Counseling and/or documents related thereto,” the letter reads.
The University of Delaware has denied all access to the archives, which were donated in 2011 by Biden, saying they won’t be made public until two years after the former vice president and 36-year Delaware senator “retires from the public eye.” Despite that provision, members of the Biden campaign reportedly accessed the archives after he announced his presidential run.
In his letter, Wigdor attacked the secretary of the Senate for refusing to disclose any documents related to Reade’s time in the Senate due to confidentiality provisions, calling the rules “draconian.” Earlier this month, Biden asked Senate record-keepers to release any files related to Reade’s alleged sexual assault complaint during an interview with MSNBC’s Morning Joe.
“If that document existed, it would be stored in the National Archives, where documents from the office she claimed to have filed a complaint with are stored,” Biden said. “The Senate controls those archives. So I’m asking the secretary of the Senate today to identify if any such document exists. If it does, make it public.”
But on May 4, Secretary of the Senate Julie Adams said the office has “no discretion to disclose any such information,” an incorrect interpretation of the statutes, according to Wigdor.
“We hope your apology to Professor [Anita] Hill and public statements about your shortcomings during Justice Thomas’s confirmation hearing do not ring hollow, and that you do not block a fair and diligent search of your Archives for records collaborating Ms. Reade’s allegations,” Wigdor wrote.
Wigdor, who has worked on a number of high-profile sexual misconduct cases, including claims against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, began representing Reade on May 4. He was a vocal advocate for Christine Blasey Ford in her allegations against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and also supported President Trump in the 2016 election.
“Her harrowing account is credible and supported by numerous ‘outcry’ witnesses from decades ago,” a press release from the firm on Thursday said of Reade’s claims. “We at Wigdor LLP firmly believe that every survivor of sexual assault has the right to competent legal counsel, and we will represent Ms. Reade zealously, just as we would any other victim of sexual violence.”
Reade first alleged she was mistreated by Biden in spring 2019 but did not say he forcibly kissed her or penetrated her with his fingers until March of this year. In an interview with Megan Kelly released last week, Reade called on Biden to drop out of the presidential race.
