After weeks of remaining silent on sexual assault allegation made against the presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden, actress Alyssa Milano says Biden’s accuser should be heard.
Milano, a prominent proponent of the #MeToo movement, tweeted early Tuesday morning, “I’m aware of the new developments in Tara Reade’s accusation against Joe Biden.”
She continued, “I want Tara, like every other survivor, to have the space to be heard and seen without being used as fodder. I hear and see you, Tara.”
I’m aware of the new developments in Tara Reade’s accusation against Joe Biden. I want Tara, like every other survivor, to have the space to be heard and seen without being used as fodder. I hear and see you, Tara. #MeToo
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) April 28, 2020
Biden has been accused of sexually assaulting Tara Reade in 1993 when she was working for Biden while he was a senator, as IJR has previously reported.
Biden’s campaign has denied the allegations, “Such claims should also be diligently reviewed by an independent press. What is clear about this claim: it is untrue.”
After Reade made her allegations public, many noted that Milano — who supported the women who accused Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault — appeared to be publicly silent on the accusations against Biden.
Actress Rose McGowen blasted Milano for not speaking out about Reade’s accusations, “You are a fraud. This is about holding the media accountable. You go after Trump [and] Kavanaugh saying Believe Victims, you are a lie. You have always been a lie.”
https://twitter.com/rosemcgowan/status/1247252442812690433
Milano defended her silence during an interview with Andy Cohen in early April, “We have to sort of societally change that mindset to believing women.”
“But, that does not mean at the expense of not, you know, giving men their due process and investigating situations, and it’s gotta be fair in both directions,” she added.
Listen to her comments below:
Milano’s explanation for her silence did not satisfy Reade who took aim at the actress, “She never reached out to me. I don’t really want to amplify her voice because I feel like she hijacked my narrative for a while and framed it about herself… she knows nothing about it.”
Milano’s tweet calling for Reade to be heard comes after Business Insider reported that Reade’s former neighbor said she remembers hearing about the alleged assault around 1995 or 1996.