When asked about the sexual assault allegation made against presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) reiterated her support for the former vice president.
During an interview Tuesday morning on “Good Morning America,” she was asked about her remarks to the British Sunday Times, where she said in early May, “I do believe Reade.” She also noted at the time that she would not want Biden to be the Democratic nominee if it were up to her.
The Democratic lawmaker also wrote in a tweet on Monday, “Believing survivors is consistent with my values.”
Check out the tweets:
We can’t fend off perceived attacks with attacks on others. This is the most important election cycle of our lifetimes and we aren’t going to have a chance if we don’t spend our energy in mobilizing and building enthusiasm against Trump. That’s the goal we should all be united on
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) May 25, 2020
When asked during Tuesday’s interview if she still supports Reade, Omar reiterated her support for Biden and helping him “in defeating Trump.”
“This is one of the most important elections of our lifetime and we all have to do everything that we can to restore our democracy and still hope in what’s possible,” Omar said.
Additionally, Omar said, “I think that it’s important that we create a space for survivors to come forward, and that has been consistent with my values and I think we can do both.”
When pressed again if she believes what Reade is alleging is “true,” the Minnesota representative said, “There’s obviously parts of what she has said that has been corroborated, parts of it that hasn’t. That is not my place to litigate.”
“I think it’s important when somebody says they have been assaulted and they see themselves as survivors, that we, as we have been saying, believe survivors.”
Reade accused Biden of sexually assaulting in 1993 her while he worked in the Senate and she was a staffer. He has repeatedly denied the allegation.
Watch Omar’s interview below:
Omar is part of “the squad” along with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), who has also commented on Reade’s allegation.
Ocasio-Cortez previously said that the allegation surrounding Biden is not “clear cut.”
“Frankly, this is a messy moment, and I think we need to acknowledge that — that it is not clear-cut,” she said on NPR’s “Morning Edition.”
The New York lawmaker later added during the interview, “Instead of focusing on her account, instead of focusing on her story as a survivor, people are fast-forwarding to the political implications, ‘Do you want Trump to win? Will you be voting for Joe Biden?’ And that denies justice in this situation.”
