The Tara Reade Story Is Over

[Celerity]

Tara Reade's accusation against Joe Biden simply isn't credible, and those pushing the story are going to end up ruining her.

https://thebanter.substack.com/p/the-tara-reade-story-is-over

Exhaustive reporting on Tara Reade’s accusations of sexual assault against Joe Biden has uncovered a sad truth: Reade most likely made the story up and has been manipulating the media to gain attention for herself. Despite the highly public unraveling of Reade’s story, a contingent of leftist activists dedicated to toppling Joe Biden are continuing to promote the story insisting Reade’s allegations are true. Furthermore, they are claiming that the mainstream media and Democratic establishment are actively suppressing the story in order to aid Biden.

How Tara Reade’s story fell apart

We covered the Reade story last month in great detail, and reviewed what we deemed to be troubling aspects of her story that did not add up. Since then, Tara Reade has been interviewed by Megyn Kelly, changed yet more details about the alleged assault, and engaged in a furious Twitter campaign to derail Joe Biden’s presidential campaign. Unfortunately for Reade, new evidence has also emerged that cast even more doubt on her story that make it almost impossible to take her seriously. From witness collaboration to a deeply troubling history of manipulation and deceit, Reade’s ever changing version of events doesn’t so much match reality, but her own troubled psyche. Here are the major developments that fundamentally undermine Reade’s version of events:

1. Reade was not originally “shut down” or “silenced” by media outlets

Reade has claimed the original harassment story broken by The Union on April 3rd 2019 later changed to sexual assault because she felt “shut down” and “silenced” by the media. It has now emerged that Reade shopped her original story around to multiple outlets and told them exactly the same thing. Notably, Vox’s Laura McGann spoke to Reade extensively in 2019 and was told explicitly that she was not sexually assaulted: Reade told me that she wanted me to think of this story as being about abuse of power, “but not sexual misconduct.” Her emphasis was on how she was treated in Biden’s office by Senate aides, who she said retaliated against her for complaining about how Biden touched her in meetings. Reade also told McGann to speak with a friend of hers “who counseled her through her time in Biden’s office in 1992 and 1993.”

The friend told McGann that: “it wasn’t that bad. [Biden] never tried to kiss her directly. He never went for one of those touches. It was one of those, ‘sorry you took it that way.’ I know that is very hard to explain.” Reade also self published the story on Medium on April 6th of 2019, so it is hard to see how anyone could have tried to censor her. McGann also firmly refutes the idea that she wanted Reade to omit any details that would incriminate Biden: That wasn’t the narrative I wanted. I wanted the truth. And I certainly had no qualms about the accusations being of sexual misconduct. Reporters at many outlets, including the reporters Reade spoke to, have not shied away from reporting on detailed sexual assault allegations. In the Me Too era, reporters have been aggressive in uncovering stories of powerful men who, for far too long, have abused and assaulted women with no consequences. In other words, Reid lied about being shut down and silenced by the media.

2. Reade retroactively edited a piece she wrote the same day she accused Biden of assault.......

snip

[DURHAM D]

1. Can't get to the whole article so I am wondering...

did they include this -

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100213459850

[Cha]

4. Mahalo for the link, Durham.. yeah, too bad

the article is for subscribers only.

[Celerity]

5. no, it did not bring that up, thanks for the info, these are the rest of the bullet points

2. Reade retroactively edited a piece she wrote the same day she accused Biden of assault.

3. Reade’s witnesses have changed their stories

4. Reade has a storied history of lying, theft and “serial manipulation”. She also tried to coach witnesses.

5. Former Biden staffers deny Reade’s version of events, say she was let go for incompetence


and


The far left is still pushing the story

Even if you disregard Biden’s strenuous denial that he assaulted Reade, the stories of former staffers, and the rigorous vetting he has been subjected to that uncovered no other accusations over multiple decades, Reade’s story still does not stand up to scrutiny. We now know that Reade timed her accusation to cause maximum damage against Biden, put out multiple different stories about the alleged assault, edited previous posts to corroborate her new version, tried to coach witnesses, and has been credibly accused of theft, fraud and manipulation. Her story is not believable by any standard definition of the word. Yet many on the far left are still promoting it as if those critical of Reade’s story are rape apologists and engaged in a campaign of smear tactics to protect Biden. The Hill host and Bernie Sanders supporter Krystal Ball for example, has accused the media of using “dirty class shaming tactics” against Reade because reporters dared to speak to Reade’s former landlord Kelly Klett. Klett, it should be remembered, told The Spectator that not only did Reade try to coach her as a witness, but also “misrepresented her circumstances”, and tried to “manipulate” and “use” her for financial gain.

[Cha]

12. Mahalo for further bullet points!

[Cha]

2. I wonder if Reade ever thought it possible that

intelligent, thoughtful people, who didn't have an agenda against Biden running for POTUS, would investigate her story so thoroughly?

Looks like an excellent article.. Sorry it's for "paying subscribers" only.

TY, Celerity

[Celerity]

6. thanks, and sorry about the subscription only, so much is now. I got an offer of access to

The Banter for only 10 USD for a year, and I liked their free articles, so I subscribed.

[BGBD]

7. Don't

be so sure that she isn't getting just what she really wanted out of all this.

Populist movements like Trump and Sanders are magnets to grifters to prey on the "believers." After she came out with this hairbrained story she had people from both of those camps flocking to her. She's got a social media following up around 100k now, has her name in legitimate news organizations, and is getting donations from this.

[Iggo]

3. Shoulda been over the day she fled the interview.

It was for me.

[ibegurpard]

8. Some will keep pushing it

But glad it's falling apart and hasn't gained traction. Whats unforgiveable is how it will increase doubt about others who come forward with accusations of sexual misconduct. She's done a great injustice to sexual assault survivors.

[Alex4Martinez]

9. Oops. From the CNN article:

Reade told CNN that she received a bachelor of arts degree from Antioch University in Seattle under the auspices of a "protected program," personally working with the former president of the school to ensure her identity was protected while she obtained credits for her degree.

She also said that she was a visiting professor at the school, on and off for five years.

Presented with this, Karen Hamilton, an Antioch University spokesperson, told CNN that "Alexandra McCabe attended but did not graduate from Antioch University. She was never a faculty member. She did provide several hours of administrative work."

An Antioch University official told CNN that such a "protected program" does not exist and never has.

Link: https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/19/politics/tara-reade-biden-allegation/index.html

[Cha]

11. Exactly. TY

[sop]

10. What's most disturbing is how some leftwing Biden detractors cynically pushed this story,

using the Me Too Movement as camouflage for a political hit job. Any attempt to investigate Reade's story was met with outrage, the implication being that simply questioning this sexual abuse accusation was as wrong as the abuse itself. In the end, it cast doubt on real stories by sexual abuse victims, and harmed the movement.

[Hav]

14. Yes, actions like these seriously hurt the real victims

and I wish something like this could get prosecuted. But not only the initial pushing of this story by BS supporters is disturbing. It's that enough still cannot let go of that fantasy which makes them an easy target for the maga cult and the bots.
On the plus side, considering the recent blatant and laughable lies from Reade and Eva Murry, I think it says something about Biden that the extreme left and right has to resort to making stuff up about him.

[JI7]

16. Social Media of people who support Biden, especially famous people were full of attacks

on them for not speaking out in support of Reade against Biden.

Using #metoo against people who have been sexually assaulted because they supported Biden.

[betsuni]

13. I will never forget or forgive who was pushing this story.

[Schematto]

15. They'll pay someone else in October

To say Biden did this or that 55 years ago without evidence.

[Tom Rinaldo]

17. I love a truly Free Press that takes its responsibility seriously. So does Joe Biden

Our presumptive nominee never wavered in his call to take seriously any allegations by women of sexual misconduct against them. He said such claims should not be swept under the rug. He said they should be thoroughly investigated. He said that Tara Reade had a right to be heard and for her charges to be seriously looked into. She was, and they have been. She asked for this. She is not being smeared, her lack of credibility is simply being documented.

[DenverJared]

18. K&R

Thanks for posting.

[DFW]

19. I compare her story to a dead horse

The Republicans will kick it many times before they are completely sure it is dead, and then they will pretend it never was there in the first place.

"Tara WHO? We Republicans never heard of her. She definitely never received a cent from US, and if it turns out she did, it was only to take her out to dinner a few times. So what if it was in Honolulu, Maui, and Kowloon? Dinner is dinner! And we never paid her airfare. And if we did, it was only business class, not first class. Also, we never paid for her hotel rooms, and if we did, it was only a superior room, not the presidential suite."