The Hill Co-Founder Martin Tolchin: ‘I Don’t Want an Investigation’ Into Tara Reade Allegation, ‘I Want a Coronation of Joe Biden’
Woodrow Wilson Center
Martin Tolchin, a veteran journalist who worked for the New York Times before departing to help found The Hill, rejected an investigation into Tara Reade’s sexual assault allegation against 2020 Democratic presidential nominee and former Vice President Joe Biden, Monday, in case it results in Biden being found guilty and losing the election.
In a letter to the New York Times, which was written in response to an editorial board article titled, “Investigate Tara Reade’s Allegations,” Tolchin wrote, “I totally disagree with this editorial.”
“I don’t want an investigation. I want a coronation of Joe Biden,” he declared. “Would he make a great president? Unlikely. Would he make a good president? Good enough. Would he make a better president than the present occupant? Absolutely.”
“I don’t want justice, whatever that may be. I want a win, the removal of Donald Trump from office, and Mr. Biden is our best chance,” Tolchin added, concluding, “Suppose an investigation reveals damaging information concerning his relationship with Tara Reade or something else, and Mr. Biden loses the nomination to Senator Bernie Sanders or someone else with a minimal chance of defeating Mr. Trump. Should we really risk the possibility?”
The letter was signed with Tolchin’s name and the biography, “The writer is a former member of The Times’s Washington bureau and a founder of Politico.”
On a Politico staff page, Tolchin’s biography states that the journalist “capped a 40-year career with The New York Times by founding The Hill, a newspaper that reports on Congress. Three years after retiring from The Hill, he is helping launch Politico.”
Update 4:55 p.m. EST: This article has been updated to clarify Tolchin’s role at Politico. While he helped launch the site, a Politico spokesman told Mediaite he was not a co-founder.
