WATCH: Joe Biden Denies Sexual Assault Allegation on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, Says ‘It Never, Never Happened’

Former Vice President and current presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden directly addressed a sexual assault allegation that surfaced in March, telling MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski “It never, never happened.”

On Friday’s edition of MSNBC’s Morning Joe, Biden addressed an allegation — made in March — that he sexually assaulted Tara Reade in a Senate corridor in 1993. Biden’s appearance came minutes after he released a lengthy statement denying the allegations and calling on the National Archives to release any documents related to her complaint  — if such dcuments exist.

Brzezinski began by reading a graphic description of the allegation, and asked Biden “Would you please go on the record with the American people, did you sexually assault Tara Reade?”

“No, it is not true, I’m saying unequivocally it never never happened. And it didn’t. It never happened.” Biden replied.

Ms. Reade was among a group of women who, in 2019, accused Joe Biden of non-sexual touching that made them uncomfortable. But in March 2020, Reade leveled a new allegation of sexual assault. Biden initially addressed the accusation through campaign spokeswoman Kate Bedingfield, who released a statement saying that Biden “firmly believes that women have a right to be heard — and heard respectfully. Such claims should also be diligently reviewed by an independent press. What is clear about this claim: It is untrue. This absolutely did not happen.”

First reported to outlets sympathetic to then-Biden rival Sen. Bernie Sanders, the allegation gained traction over several weeks, and calls for Biden to address it directly grew this past week as prominent women who support Biden were asked to react to it.

Watch the clip above via MSNBC.