Tara Reade, a former Senate aide who accused President Joe Biden of sexual assault, announced Tuesday she defected to Russia.
The shocking confession was made during a Russian state press conference, where Reade was sitting next to alleged Kremlin spy—and pal—Maria Butina. Reade told the pro-Putin press the “very difficult” decision to move came after the realization that she no longer feels safe in Biden's America.
“I'm still kind of in a daze a bit but I feel very good,” Reade told Sputnik. “I feel very surrounded by protection and safety. And I just really so appreciate Maria [Butina] and everyone who's been giving me that at a time when it's been very difficult to know if I'm safe or not.”
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“You have U.S. and European citizens looking for safe haven here,” Reade added. “And luckily, the Kremlin is accommodating. So we're lucky.”
In the hours-long Tuesday conversation—which was live-streamed on Twitter that garnered about 500 viewers—Reade touched upon a litany of topics, ranging from Russia's ongoing war with Ukraine to her critiques of America's “terrible” roads. She asked Russian President Vladimir Putin for citizenship, although she denied any pre-existing ties to Russia.
“To my Russian brothers and sisters, I’m sorry right now that American elites are choosing to have such an aggressive stance. Just know that most American citizens do want to be friends and hope that we can have unity again,” she added, before personally thanking Butina.
“I am enjoying my time in Moscow, and I feel very at home.”
About three years ago, Reade alleged that then-Democratic presidential nominee Biden had sexually assaulted her in 1993 in a Capitol Hill office when she was his staff assistant. Biden “unequivocally” denied the allegations that quickly became a focal point of the 2020 presidential race. Media outlets have since found inconsistencies in her and witnesses' accounts of the allegations, which were made public in March 2020. Reports also put a harsh spotlight on Reade’s educational credentials.
Reade has a history of publicly supporting Putin, including one September 2019 tweet where she claimed Americans “support” the Russian leader. After Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Reade took to her YouTube channel to promote Russian officials—and criticize the censorship of “good news outlets like [state media] RT]” in the U.S.
In December, Semafor reported that Russian diplomats tried to bring Reade to a meeting on “weapons diversion,” even though she had no known expertise on the topic. While Reade ultimately did not speak at the UN meeting, she did interview Russia’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations on her YouTube channel afterward.
“Your name was too toxic for them and they did everything they could to block you from participating,” Dimitry Polyanskiy told Reade in the interview.
Reade later told Semafor that the Russian UN diplomat reached out to her because of her online commentary on the war in Ukraine. She also called herself a “longtime anti-imperialist” and expressed her frustrations with “Russophobia.”
