Unacceptable Media Silence On Allegations of Abuse Against Biden

Earlier this week, a former staffer for then-Senator Joe Biden renewed her accusation of sexual harassment against the Democratic front-runner and upgraded it to an accusation of sexual assault. The reaction to the story has been disturbing in its absence, demonstrating a desperate need to de-politicize #MeToo in a way that empowers women to, finally, have a reliable, and reasonably safe way to hold their assailants accountable, whether they are an hourly worker or a prominent politician.

Alexandra “Tara” Reade made her explosive accusations in an interview with journalist and podcaster Katie Halper. I will not recount the details here; you can listen to her story yourself. I will only warn you that it is graphic and disturbing to hear. Halper was following up on an article by The Intercept’s Ryan Grim on the difficulty Reade had in finding support from the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund. Reade gave another interview to The Hill’s daily news webcast show “Rising,” speaking with the show’s unabashedly populist hosts, Krystal Ball and Saagar Enjeti.

Naturally, the right wing media, from the right-libertarian Reason to the farther right Breitbart News, have been all over this story. But the mainstream, and much of the liberal and progressive left media have been utterly silent.