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Continetti: Media Should Demand Biden Make Evidence Public in Tara Reade Case

Washington Free Beacon founding editor Matthew Continetti on Thursday said the media ought to pressure Joe Biden to publicize his archives to shed light on the sexual assault accusation against him.

"I think it’s important that Biden finally be asked. But the question is: What’s the follow-up question?" Continetti said on Fox News's Special Report. "He will deny the initial charge, but the real question is, will he open his archive so that we can search for more evidence of the case?"

Biden's personal papers from his time in the Senate were given to the University of Delaware and are being kept private. The university has said it will not release them before the presidential election in November.

Biden's former staff assistant Tara Reade has accused then-senator Biden of sexually assaulting her in 1993. She served in his Senate office at the time and claims she filed a complaint.

The Biden campaign denies the allegation, and the candidate himself has not spoken publicly on the matter, as he has yet to face a single question about it. 

Many top Democrats have stood up for Biden, and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) on Wednesday said she was confident in Biden's character. She also pushed back on a reporter for asking whether it is fair for Democrats to cast doubt on Reade's story when they were quick to assume the guilt of Brett Kavanaugh during his politically charged Supreme Court confirmation battle in 2018.

"I respect your question, and I don't need a lecture or a speech," Pelosi told the reporter during a press conference.

"There's a lot of excitement around the idea that women will be heard and be able to be listened to," Pelosi said. "There is also due process, and the fact that Joe Biden is Joe Biden."

Reade on Thursday said she is willing to testify under oath about the assault.

Biden is expected to address the allegation for the first time Friday on MSNBC’s Morning Joe.