Biden's denial of Reade's charges was necessary but not enough
Reade also was unable to produce a copy of a complaint she said she filed with the Senate in 1993, and Biden's campaign said they had no copy of it either.
In the past month, The New York Times and The Washington Post have taken deep-dive investigations into the allegations but come back with inconclusive results. Although a few people have corroborated parts of her accounts, there are inconsistencies. They include her claim to have filed a complaint with congressional authorities. Such a complaint would have automatically triggered an inquiry, but so far no evidence of it has turned up.
There's more, including some other independent probes that raise questions about her account and her credibility. Besides her complaint against Biden, some stories question her suddenly acquired deep appreciation for Russian leader Vladimir Putin. A reader sent me a report on Medium by Brian and Eddie Krassenstein that looks like a made-to-order opposition research paper for Biden's defense team.
Such stories offer a preview of more he-said-she-said stories to come. It can get pretty nasty out there. Much less certain is whether any of this reaches a resolution clear enough to satisfy both sides before Election Day, if ever.
That's why I think Biden is wise to take a stand of wanting to hear what his accuser has to say whether he -- or we -- believe her or not. I have never believed the "believe all women" mantra because it makes a hash of a couple of what should be sacred principles in this country: the rule of law and the rights of the accused to be presumed innocent until proved guilty.
That's why I was more than mildly amused to see President Donald Trump's response to a question about Reade's allegations. "I think he should respond," Trump said. "It could be false accusations. I know all about false accusations, I've been falsely charged numerous times -- and there is such a thing."
Indeed, there is, although Trump's record of sexual assault and misconduct allegations by more than a dozen women, far more serious than the allegation against Biden, amount to a record to which the president might rather not call our attention -- again.
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(E-mail Clarence Page at cpage@chicagotribune.com.)
(c) 2020 CLARENCE PAGE DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.
