A former aide's allegations of sexual assault against the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, Joe Biden, might spell trouble for his upcoming campaign to become the next US President.
Joe Biden accused of sexual assault
Tara Reade, a woman who briefly worked as an aide for former Vice President, filed a complaint stating that Biden sexually assaulted her in the 1990s, as previously reported.
Reade alleged that the incident took place in the basement of a Capitol Hill office building in the spring of 1993. She filed a criminal complaint in Washington last week claiming she was the victim of a sexual assault by an unnamed person, later confirmed to be Biden.
This isn't the first time Reade has gone public with allegations of sexual misconduct against Biden. Last year, Reade publicly accused Biden of inappropriate touching, but at the time there was no mention of sexual assault.
Last month, in a podcast interview, Reade revealed that Biden pushed her against a wall, groped her and then penetrated her with his fingers under her skirt when she brought him a gym bag while working as a staff assistant in his office.
Biden's 2020 Presidential campaign in trouble?
Although Biden's campaign has denied the accusations and deemed them "untrue," Reade's allegations come at a crucial time for Biden, who is seeking to rally the Democratic Party behind his campaign as the party's presumptive presidential nominee after Sen. Bernie Sanders dropped out of the 2020 presidential race last week.
Women are an important demographic for Democrats as far as votes are concerned and any erosion of support for Biden could spell doom for this presidential battle with President Donald Trump in November.
Last year, as Biden was preparing to formally enter the presidential race, he faced numerous allegations of unwanted touching by several women, who said they were uncomfortable with Biden's hugs, hand holding and other actions. Reade was among the women who came forward at the time.
Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr., has already started the use the sexual assault allegations against Biden. Trump Jr. sought to inject Reade's allegation into the presidential campaign on Saturday by accusing the media on Twitter of not covering the scandal, as pointed out by The Washington Post.
Unlikely to do any damage
However, as pointed out by The Guardian's Arwa Mahdawi, It is "hugely unlikely that Reade's accusations will do any damage whatsoever to Biden's ambitions. Allegations of sexual assault certainly haven't posed any hindrance to Trump," she wrote.
Let's not forget that Trump has also been accused of forced kissing, groping or sexual assault by more than a dozen women, accusations which he has denied. He has also been recorded on audio bragging about using his fame to assault women and grab them between their legs, for which he was forced to apologise during the 2016 campaign.
But then again, during Trump's time there was no #MeToo movement, which has spurred dozens of women to come forward with sexual assault allegations against prominent men in politics, entertainment and other industries.
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