Biden's sexual assault accuser calls on Putin for Russian citizenship after defecting

A woman who alleged that US President Joe Bidensexually assaulted her in 1993has sought Russian citizenship after defecting to the country. Ex-Senate staffer Tara Reade had made the accusations in 2020 when Biden was seeking a Democratic nomination for the president's post.

Reade, in an interview with the Russian state media, appeared alongsideMaria Butina, a Russian lawmaker, who wasimprisoned in Washington in 2018 for being analleged spy and said shefeels right at home in Moscowafter fleeing the United States.

"When I got off the plane in Moscow, for the first time in a very long time I felt safe, and I felt heard and felt respected," said Reade, according to Sputnik News.

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“I’m still kind of in a daze a bit but I feel very good. I feel very surrounded by protection and safety. And I just really so appreciate Maria 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," she added.

Reade requested Russian President Vladimir Putin to grant her citizenship, adding that she will remain a "good citizen".

"I'd like to apply for citizenship in Russia, from the president of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin.I do promise to be a good citizen."

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What were Reade's accusations?

Notably, in the run-up to the 2020 elections, Reade in an interview said the Democrat leader attempted to sexually assault her. Then a junior staffer, Reade was tasked with bringing Biden's gym bag to him in his Senate office when the incident occurred.

“l want to f— you,” the former staffer said Biden told her while pinning her up against the wall. She added that what happened next "happened very quickly".

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“I remember being pushed up against the wall. The first thought I had was ‘Where’s the bag?’ which is an absurd thought, but that’s what I thought,” she said.

“He had his hands underneath my clothes, and it happened all at once, so when I tell about it, it’s hard because so many things were happening at once, it’s like my brain was trying to catch up to what was happening."

However, Biden denied all the allegations saying the incident never happened.

"It is not true. I'm saying unequivocally it never, never happened," he said.

Reade said she filed a complaint after the alleged incident, but no record of it has been found.

(With inputs from agencies)

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