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U.S. NEWS Saturday 2 May 2020
Biden declares sexual assault ‘never, never happened’

Continued from Front awkward position of validating him of unwanted touching, beha- Donald Trump will use these al-
women who come forward with vior for which he apologized. legations in the general election
Reade did not immediately res- their stories while defending their Biden has pledged to pick a wo- campaign,” said Claire Sandberg,
pond to a request for comment presumptive nominee in what man as a running mate, and the who worked as Bernie Sanders’ or-
Friday. many in the party consider the allegation has left those thought ganizing director.
The Archives deflected inquiries to most important election of their to be in contention in a tough Indeed, Republicans seized Friday
Capitol Hill: “Any records of Sena- lifetimes. spot. on the idea of scouring Biden’s
te personnel complaints from 1993 Former Democratic National Com- “Women deserve to be heard,” records as they try to take advan-
would have remained under the mittee Chairwoman Donna Brazile said Stacey Abrams, the former tage of an issue that was, in 2016,
control of the Senate.” said before Biden’s interview that Georgia Democratic governor more fraught for them when more
Senate officials did not immedia- his silence was “damaging,” but candidate, “but I also believe than two dozen women alleged
tely respond to a request for infor- afterward said he handled the that those allegations have to be that Trump committed varying le-
mation. matter well. investigated by credible sources.” vels of sexual assault and harass-
Biden, in his TV interview, said “the- “He responded, he denied it, and That echoed talking points the ment.
re are so many inconsistencies” in there’s nothing more to be added Biden campaign issued to sur- Trump joined fellow Republicans
Reade’s various accounts. But he to it,” Brazile said, before alluding rogates last week that were ob- in arguing that Democrats aren’t
also said he does not “question to Reade’s repeated public state- tained by The Associated Press. being consistent, pointing again
her motive.” He said that over his ments. “If you add to the story the They pointed to investigations by Friday to the aggressive questio-
five decades in public life, none of way Tara Reade has, it only brings The New York Times, The Washing- ning of Supreme Court nominee
his employees was asked to sign a more confusion.” Karen Finney, ton Post and the AP that found no Brett Kavanaugh when he faced
nondisclosure agreement. who worked for Hillary Clinton in other allegation of sexual assault an allegation of sexual assault.
Republicans worried about Presi- 2016, described Biden as “very against Biden and no pattern of Biden said Friday that women
dent Donald Trump’s increasingly clear and consistent” and “sin- sexual misconduct. “should start off with the presump-
precarious political standing are cere,” but said, “I wish they had Some Democratic donors say tion they are telling the truth. Then
seizing on Reade’s allegation to done this a little bit sooner.” the matter hasn’t come up in re- you have to look at the circum-
cast Democrats as only defending The November contest between cent strategy calls. Others worry stances and the facts. And the
women who allege wrongdoing Biden and Trump will be the first it could be used against Biden, facts of this case do not exist.”
against conservatives. They’re presidential race of the #MeToo much as Republicans harped in Trump’s reelection campaign
digging in despite the possibility of era, during which numerous wo- 2016 on Clinton’s private email quickly released a digital ad fea-
renewed attention on the multiple men have come forward with al- server ind activities of the Clinton turing prominent Democrats, in-
sexual assault allegations lodged legations of sexual harassment Foundation. cluding Biden and Clinton saying,
against Trump. and assault. “We know they’re going to try “Believe women” and similar sen-
In light of his own situation, Trump Trump has been accused of as- elements of the same playbook,” timents.
himself is stepping delicately sault and unwanted touching by said Finney, talking specifically “Ladies and gentleman, we just
around the Biden controversy. numerous women, allegations he about calls for Biden to release his can’t have it both ways,” Trump
“He’s going to have to make his denies. Senate papers. spokeswoman Kellyanne Conway
own decision,” Trump said in a Women are a core constituency Other Democratic operatives ex- said at the White House. “We can-
podcast interview Friday with Dan for Democrats, and Biden has a pressed concern the allegation not decide which women were
Bongino. “I’m not going to be mixed history. He wrote the Vio- complicates a central Biden cam- included in ‘believe all women.’”
telling him what to do.” The pre- lence Against Women Act as a se- paign rationale: that he provides Asked whether the controversy
sident added that it would be a nator, but came under heavy cri- a moral counter to Trump. will refocus attention on Trump’s
“great thing” if Biden had records ticism for his handling of Anita Hill’s “I think we have to apply a con- history, Conway said, “If you do
that could “dispose” of Reade’s Senate testimony in the 1990s. Just sistent standard for how we treat that, then you’re going to hear
allegation. before he launched his 2020 cam- allegations of sexual assault, and a lot from Tara Reade and other
Democrats, meanwhile, are in an paign, several women accused also be clear-eyed about how people.” q

Trump's new press secretary pledges not to lie from podium

By JILL COLVIN and his thinking." She said she her post that summer, and
DEB RIECHMANN sees it as her "mission to her successor, Stepha-
Associated Press bring you the mindset of nie Grisham, never held a
WASHINGTON (AP) — Presi- the president, deliver those briefing during her entire
dent Donald Trump's new facts, so this president gets nine-month tenure.
spokeswoman, Kayleigh fair and accurate reporting The briefings were must-see
McEnany, vowed on Friday and the American people TV during the early days of
not to lie to reporters from get fair and accurate infor- the Trump administration,
the podium as she made mation." when viewers would tune
her debut at the first White During past administrations, in to see Trump's first press
House briefing by a press a formal briefing by a White secretary, Sean Spicer,
secretary in more than a House press secretary spar with the press. But the
year. would hardly be news. But media-obsessed Trump,
"I will never lie to you," it was the first such briefing who sees himself as his best
McEnany told reporters. since March 11, 2019, when spokesman, communica-
"You have my word on White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany speaks during Sarah Sanders took to the tions director and strategist,
that." a press briefing at the White House, Friday, May 1, 2020, in podium for the first time in came to the conclusion
McEnany, who joined the Washington. more than a month and last year that the spectacle
White House last month, Associated Press. was pressed on comments had diminishing returns,
took the stage behind a began the practice of McEnany said she spends Trump reportedly made at people close to him said at
podium that had quite lit- holding his own daily brief- most of the day with the a fundraiser claiming that the time.
erally been collecting cob- ings because of the coro- president and is "con- Democrats hated Jew-
webs before the president navirus. stantly with him, absorbing ish people. Sanders left Continued on Page 26