Tara Reade, the woman who accused Vice President Joe Biden of sexually assaulting her when he was a senator in the United States, has defected to Russia and is endeavoring to obtain Russian citizenship.
According to a former Defense Intelligence Agency analyst who specialized in Russian studies, Reade is “being played” by Russia.
Reade appeared in a video for the Russian state propaganda channel titled “A Statement and Press Conference from Tara Reade” on Tuesday, and she tweeted a video of the event.
The video was produced by Sputnik International, a news organization completely owned and administered by the Russian government.
BREAKING: A Statement and Press Conference from Tara Reade @ReadeAlexandra https://t.co/BixNvE1TGs
— Tara Reade 🐎 (@ReadeAlexandra) May 30, 2023
Reade stated she feared for her life after consenting to testify before Congress regarding her allegations. Presumably, she will no longer be testifying, at least not in person.
“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.”
Russian lawmaker Maria Butina was praised by Reade for encouraging her to defect. Butina, a supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin, acknowledged in 2018 that she intended to work for her country as an unregistered foreign agent.
Butina reportedly served an 18-month prison sentence prior to her deportation back to Russia, where she was born.
“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,” Reade said. “I just didn’t want to walk home and walk into a cage or be killed, which is basically my two choices.”
Reade added that she had given her decision to defect considerable thought over time and that it had been “very difficult” for her.
She had claimed in an earlier tweet that she had endured “Three years of Joe Biden and DNC political machine threats, bullying, and intimidation.”
In the same tweet, she implied that she “should not be under investigation nor am I a foreign agent,” insinuating that she was being investigated for operating as an unregistered foreign agent, the same offense for which Butina had been charged.
I want to make something clear. If something happens to me, all roads lead to Joe Biden.
Joe Biden and DNC political machine threats, bullying and intimidation over the last three years will not work.
I am not suicidal. I should not be under investigation nor am I a foreign…— Tara Reade 🐎 (@ReadeAlexandra) May 7, 2023
“And from what I could see based on the cases and based on what was happening and sort of the push for them to not want me to testify, I felt that while this election is gearing up and there’s so much at stake, I’m almost better off here and just being safe,” she said.
“My dream is to live in both places,” she claimed, “but it may be that I only live in this place and that’s OK.”
According to Fox, Butina supported Reade’s application for Russian citizenship, and Putin was allegedly “potentially looking to fast-track the request.”
The outlet also reported that the White House had no comment on Reade’s story.
“I won’t attempt to speak for an aspiring Russian citizen, the convicted Russian spy who’s sponsoring her, or the foreign government with which she has chosen to align,” said White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates when Fox reached out for comment.
More on this story via The Republic Brief:
“Tara Reade is being played by Putin’s regime to stick it to Biden and give the story about the sexual assault allegation another run, in the aftermath of his announcing his run for re-election in 2024,” said Rebekah Koffler, president of Doctrine & Strategy Consulting and a former Defense Intelligence Agency officer. CONTINUE READING…
