| Advertisement |
May 31 (UPI) -- A woman who accused President Joe Biden of sexually assaulting her 30 years ago when she was his staffer says she will apply for Russian citizenship. Tara Reade was a congressional page for Biden in 1993, when she says he sexually harassed and assaulted her in an office building on Capitol Hill. The claims have remained unfounded as records of a complaint she said she filed have never been found.
Advertisement
The allegations came to light during Biden's 2020 presidential campaign. He has denied that the incidents ever happened, pointing to "inconsistencies" in Reade's account of events.
On Tuesday, Reade appeared at an event in Moscow held by the news agency Sputnik when she said she will apply for citizenship in Russia. She said she made the decision after she received death threats in the United States.
"I don't know what will happen with that, but I do promise to be a good citizen and I promise to move forward with my life in a positive way," Reade said of her potential citizenship, according to NPR.
Reade was seen at the event along with Maria Butina, an activist who was convicted of spying on the United States. She was released from prison and deported in 2019. She has since become a member of parliament in Russia.
Reade was one of eight women to accuse Biden of touching them in ways that made them uncomfortable prior to him being elected as president. Reade said she filed a formal complaint against Biden. The president requested that, if the complaint exists, it be verified by the National Archives, where it would reside.
"News organizations that have talked with literally dozens of former staffers have not found one -- not one -- who corroborated her allegations in any way," Biden said.
