A woman who accused Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden of sexually assaulting her when she worked for him in 1993 has filed a formal criminal complaint with the Washington, DC, police about the alleged incident, Business Insider has learned.


The woman, Tara Reade, says she told police that Biden assaulted her in a Senate corridor, shoving his hand under her skirt and penetrating her with his fingers. She was a staffer in his Senate office at the time. The statute of limitations for the alleged assault has passed.Reade first made her allegations late last month, in a podcast interview, saying that Biden had assaulted her and touched her without consent while the two were alone after she delivered him a gym bag.

Late Thursday afternoon, Reade filed a report of the incident with the sexual assault unit of the Washington, DC, Metropolitan Police Department. Business Insider has obtained a public incident report recording the allegation.


When Reade first made the sexual assault allegation last month, Biden's team issued a blanket denial: "Women have a right to tell their story, and reporters have an obligation to rigorously vet those claims," Kate Bedingfield, Biden's communications director said. "We encourage them to do so, because these accusations are false."

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