Former Biden staffer Tara Reade who accused Biden of sexual assault seeks refuge in Russia

During a press conference organized by the Russian government, Reade revealed her decision while seated alongside Maria Butina, a Russian national who had previously been found guilty and imprisoned in the United States for participating in a conspiracy to act as a Russian agent within the country.

“I’m still kind of in a daze a bit, but I feel very good,” Reade told Sputnik News. “I feel very surrounded by protection and safety. And I just really so appreciate Maria [Butina] and everyone who’s been giving me that at a time when it’s been very difficult to know if I’m safe or not.”

“I’m not going to be intimidated, bullied or silenced. I’m going to speak out and I’m willing to speak under oath about the corruption I witnessed, about the crime I experienced,” she added. “And it is remarkable that Joe Biden raped me when I worked for him at U.S. Congress and I’m supposed to be the fugitive. That is ridiculous and it’s unacceptable."

In her statement, Reade expressed her desire to become a citizen of the Russian Federation and made an official request to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“I am going to make a request and it’s a large one: I’d like to apply for citizenship in Russia from the president of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, and hopefully Maria can help me from the State Duma,” Reade said. “I do promise to be a good citizen and move forward with my life in a positive way.”

Throughout the press conference, Reade consistently criticized the United States.

During the 2020 presidential election, Reade came forward with an allegation against then-senator Biden, asserting that in 1993, he had forcibly engaged in inappropriate conduct with her while she worked as a staffer in a deserted hallway of a Senate building, including alleged penetration with his fingers. While her claim initially received limited attention from mainstream media outlets for several weeks, The New York Times eventually addressed it in an extensively examined report. The Times' investigation, although initially characterized by Biden's campaign as exonerating him, faced strong criticism from the publication itself, as it clearly stated that it did not absolve Biden from the allegations.

In late March 2020, Reade provided a documented account of the alleged assault, stating that it occurred when her supervisor directed her to deliver a gym bag to Biden.

“I handed him the thing. He greeted me. He remembered my name. And then we were alone,” Reade stated. “It was the strangest thing. There was no like exchange really. He just had me up against the wall. I was wearing like a skirt, a business skirt.”

“It happened all at once … his hands were on me and underneath my clothes,” Reade added. “Yeah, and he went down my skirt but then up inside it, and he penetrated me with his fingers, and he was kissing me at the same time, and he was saying something to me. He said several things. I can’t remember everything he said.”