Two more sources have come forward to corroborate sexual assault claims against Joe Biden by former staffer Tara Reade, who claims that in 1993 Biden forced himself upon her and penetrated her against her will with his fingers.
Two people have already come forward to say that Reade told them of the incident shortly after it allegedly occurred; her brother Collin Moulton, and a friend who wishes to remain anonymous for fear of retribution.
Now, two more witnesses have come forward to Business Insider; former neighbor Lynda LaCasse - a self-described "very strong Democrat," and Reade's former co-worker, Lorraine Sanchez, who worked in the office of a California state senator in the mid-1990s.
"This happened, and I know it did because I remember talking about it," said LaCasse, a retired former medical staff coordinator and emergency room clerk for San Luis Obispo General Hospital in California, who lived next door to Reade in the mid-1990s in an apartment complex in Morro Bay, CA. LaCasse said she and Reade shared a bond because they were both mothers whose daughters swam together in the apartment complex's pool.
In a series of interviews with Insider over the last week, LaCasse said she decided to speak up now, at a time when Reade's story is under intense scrutiny in the media and facing denials from the Biden campaign, because she believed Reade's account when she first heard it.
"I have to support her just because that's what happened," LaCasse said. "We need to stand up and tell the truth." -Business Insider
"I remember her saying, here was this person that she was working for and she idolized him," she added. "And he kind of put her up against a wall. And he put his hand up her skirt and he put his fingers inside her. She felt like she was assaulted, and she really didn't feel there was anything she could do."
"She was crying," LaCasse said. "She was upset. And the more she talked about it, the more she started crying. I remember saying that she needed to file a police report."
"I don't remember all the details," LaCasse said. "I remember the skirt. I remember the fingers. I remember she was devastated."
Sanchez told Insider that she recalls Reade complaining that her former boss had sexually harassed her, and that after raising concerns she had been fired.
In interviews with Insider, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and politics podcaster Katie Halper (who broke the story of the assault allegations), Reade has said that in the spring or summer of 1993, she was told to meet Biden in a semi-private corridor to deliver a duffel bag. There, she said, Biden pushed her up against a wall, reached under her skirt, and penetrated her with his fingers. When she resisted his advances, Reade said, Biden expressed annoyance and said, "Aw man, I heard you liked me." Then, she said, he pointed a finger at her and said, "You're nothing to me." After that, she said, he shook her by the shoulders and said, "You're OK, you're fine," before walking away. -Business Insider.
Added to the four witnesses involved in this 'credible accusation' is a 1993 clip of a CNN episode of "Larry King Live" in which Reade's mother called the network to ask how to resolve a complaint against a 'prominent senator,' as nobody in Washington D.C. would help her.
#BREAKING: HERE is the video from August 11,1993's 'Larry King Live' described by @TheIntercept (and Tara Reade) as allegedly featuring her mother calling in and alluding to Reade's sexual assault claims against @JoeBiden (blog here by @ScottJW) https://t.co/fCgEqBnX7n pic.twitter.com/V5FGHskv56
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) April 24, 2020
Biden's handlers have denied Reade's allegations, saying in a carefully crafted statement "Women have a right to tell their story, and reporters have an obligation to rigorously vet those claims," a courtesy which was not afforded to Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation process. "We encourage them to do so, because these accusations are false," Biden's team added.
The fourth witness to come forward, Lorraine Sanchez, told Insider that Reade complained at the time about being sexually harassed.
After she left Washington, DC, Reade worked for California State Senator Jack O'Connell. Lorraine Sanchez, a former legislative staffer in O'Connell's office, mentored Reade and worked alongside her from 1994 through 1996. Sanchez told Insider that Reade complained at the time about being mistreated by her former employer.
"[Reade said] she had been sexually harassed by her former boss while she was in DC," Sanchez said, "and as a result of her voicing her concerns to her supervisors, she was let go, fired." -Business Insider.
"What I do remember," said Sanchez "is reassuring her that nothing like that would ever happen to her here in our office, that she was in a safe place, free from any sexual harassment."
Sanchez added that "it takes great courage and strength to come forward," adding "It's much easier to keep silent. However, I also understand the duty we have as women to share our story regardless of who the perpetrator may be."
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