Former Senate Co-Worker Claims Tara Reade Was Fired for ‘Poor Performance,’ Not in Retaliation for Harassment Complaints: Report
Photo credit: Saul Loeb, AFP/Getty Images.
According to a former Senate staff colleague who worked alongside Tara Reade, she was fired from her position in Biden’s office for poor performance, not as retribution for complaining about sexual harassment by Joe Biden.
That claim is part of an extensive PBS NewsHour report, which interviewed more than six dozen former Biden aides whose relationships with the former Senator spanned decades. Reade has accused Biden of sexually assaulting her in 1993 in an area close to the Senate gym, a charge Biden has vigorously denied, saying “it never, never happened.”
“None of the people interviewed said that they had experienced sexual harassment, assault or misconduct by Biden,” PBS reports. “All said they never heard any rumors or allegations of Biden engaging in sexual misconduct, until the recent assault allegation made by Tara Reade. Former staffers said they believed Reade should be heard, and acknowledged that their experiences do not disprove her accusation.”
Among the 20 people who worked for Biden when Reade was also employed in the office was then-Senator Joe Biden’s office administrator. He said he worked in close proximity to Reade and claims he reported her to his boss, Biden’s deputy chief of staff, because of her inability to process constituent mail.
“Ben Savage, who said his desk was next to Reade’s in the Biden mailroom, disputed her charge that she was forced out of her job in retaliation for a sexual harassment complaint she claims to have filed,” PBS notes. “Savage, who worked as the office’s systems administrator, overseeing computers and information processing, told the NewsHour that Reade was fired for her poor performance on the job, which he witnessed — not as retaliation for her complaints about sexual harassment.”
In addition, other Biden female staffers praised him for how he treated women in his office and cast doubts on the details of the assault, which Reade remembers as taking place in a hallway or alcove in the hallway between the office and the Senate gym.
“The layout of that route and building has not changed. A recent walk through that area showed the subway tunnel contains no out-of-view areas, like an alcove. The remaining portion of the route includes multiple stairwells as well as corridors lined with offices. It is a main thoroughfare for senators and staffers,” PBS explained. “Some former staffers told the NewsHour that if Biden did assault Reade in any of these places, it would have been a brazen attack in an area with a high risk of being seen.”
Reade attorney Doug Wigdor disputed Savage’s allegation, saying, “Her performance had nothing to do with her termination.”
He also, per PBS, argued that “former aides have an incentive to stand with Biden because they could benefit personally if he becomes president, do not want to have ‘their lives turned upside down if they come out against him.'”
