Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) says she believes that former Vice President Joe Biden did not sexually assault a staffer in 1993.
During an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Whitmer was asked, “Why do you believe Biden and not [Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh]?”
“As a survivor and as a feminist I’ll say this, we need to give people an opportunity to tell their story and then we have a duty to vet it,” she said, adding, “And just because you’re a survivor doesn’t mean that every claim is equal.”
“I have read a lot about this current allegation, I know Joe Biden and I’ve watched his defense, and there’s not a pattern that goes into this. And I think that for these reasons, I’m very comfortable that Joe Biden is who he says he is,” Whitmer added.
Finally, she said about the allegation, “I don’t believe that it’s consistent with the Joe Biden I know, and I do believe Joe, and I support Joe Biden.”
Watch the video below:
“We owe it to every woman who has a story to, to listen to that story and then vet that story… I don’t believe that it’s consistent with the Joe Biden I know and I do believe Joe Biden,” Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer reacts to Tara Reade's allegation against Biden. #CNNSOTU pic.twitter.com/5h0fvzgV4K
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) May 3, 2020
Biden has been accused of sexually assaulting former Senate staffer Tara Reade in 1993.
However, on Friday, he unequivocally denied the allegation, “It is not true. I’m saying unequivocally it never, never happened. And it didn’t. It never happened.”
Reade first made her allegation public in March, but it took several weeks for news outlets to cover her story which led some to compare the coverage she received to the coverage of the allegations made against Kavanaugh during his 2018 confirmation process.
Kavanaugh faced several allegations of sexual assault, however, an FBI investigation was unable to corroborate them.
Last week, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) accused Democrats of hypocrisy regarding their treatment of the allegation against Biden, “It’s pretty obvious that the same people who were outraged about allegations — unproven allegations against Justice Kavanaugh when he was in high school seemed to have little or no interest, or certainly not as much interest and suggestions of improper behavior by an adult who’s in the Senate.”
Whitmer is one of several prominent Democratic figures who have publicly stated that they believe Biden, while previously stating their support for Kavanaugh’s accusers.
