As a sexual assault allegation against the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden continues to linger as an issue, some Democrats are ready to move on, citing Biden’s denial.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) said she believes Biden’s accuser, Tara Reade, should be heard. But she also stated that she thinks the response to Reade’s allegations has been politicized and is not “sufficient.”
“It certainly seems as though something has happened. I’m not sure,” Ocasio-Cortez said in an interview on NPR’s “Morning Edition” Thursday.
“Frankly, this is a messy moment, and I think we need to acknowledge that — that it is not clear-cut,” she added.
She said she believes the issue will have an “impact” for sexual assault survivors, and she believes survivors are paying attention to how the nation’s leaders respond to the allegation.
However, she said she does not believe the response to the allegation has been adequate, “I don’t think that the response overall has been sufficient. It’s very difficult because this is in a hyper-politicized zone.”
She continued, “Instead of focusing on her account, instead of focusing on her story as a survivor, people are fast-forwarding to the political implications, ‘Do you want Trump to win? Will you be voting for Joe Biden?’ And that denies justice in this situation.”
Ocasio-Cortez says the public should look at “the aims that the survivor is asking for” and said that Reade has not called for Americans to not support Biden. She added, “If anything, it sounds like she simply wants to be heard.”
Listen to Ocasio-Cortez’s interview below:
Reade accused Biden of sexually assaulting her in 1993 when she worked for him while he was in the Senate. Biden has denied the allegation, as IJR reported.
“I want to address allegations by a former staffer that I engaged in misconduct 27 years ago. They aren’t true. This never happened,” Biden said in a statement.
Ocasio-Cortez previously said it is “legitimate to talk” about Reade’s allegation. And she stated that she will vote for the former vice president, although she has not endorsed him.