Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez expressed her willingness to have a conversation about the sexual assault allegations facing presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden.

"I think it's legitimate to talk about these things," the New York Democrat said regarding the claims from former Biden aide Tara Reade, who said the then-senator sexually assaulted her in 1993. "And if we want, if we again want to have integrity, you can't say, you know — both believe women, support all of this, until it inconveniences you, until it inconveniences us."

Ocasio-Cortez, who was one of Sen. Bernie Sanders's most vocal backers, has said she will support whichever Democrat ends up going against President Trump in November, but has also expressed skepticism about the former vice president's willingness to be an ally to many of the causes she supports.

Ocasio-Cortez's comments, made Tuesday evening during an online conversation with the women-only networking space The Wing, marked the first time any national lawmaker has spoken about the allegation Reade leveled against Biden. Ocasio-Cortez said it's "not okay" to ignore issues surrounding sexual assault simply because Democrats want to defeat Trump.

"I think a lot of us are just in this moment where it's like, how did we get here? You know, it almost felt like we started this cycle where we had kind of moved on from, you know, from all of this. And now it feels like we're kind of back in it," she said. "And, you know, the most diverse field that we've ever seen — that we're kind of back kind of replaying old movies in a way."

Biden has yet to address the allegations directly, which Reade first mentioned in a March podcast. His campaign has issued a strong denial that any inappropriate incident between the two took place.

"Vice President Biden has dedicated his public life to changing the culture and the laws around violence against women," Biden's deputy campaign manager, Kate Bedingfield, told the Washington Examiner in a statement last month. "He authored and fought for the passage and reauthorization of the landmark Violence Against Women Act. He firmly believes that women have a right to be heard — and heard respectfully. Such claims should also be diligently reviewed by an independent press," she added. "What is clear about this claim: It is untrue. This absolutely did not happen."