Fox News host Tucker Carlson has cautioned journalists to be very weary and keep their guard up against the potentially false Tara Reade sexual assault allegations against Joe Biden.
According to Carlson, the timing and inconsistency of Reade’s allegations raise questions about political games being played during an election year.
“As we learned so bitterly during the Brett Kavanaugh hearing, political imperatives sometimes influence claims like this,” Carlson said during Tuesday’s show. “That does not mean that Tara Reade is some kind of liar or is a devious partisan, we don’t know that is true and we are not saying it now, to be clear, we are not asserting that.”
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“But the timing does mean — and this is our duty — that we ought to keep our guard up as this story progresses. Those of us who cover it going forward should be very wary of being used. Again, this is a presidential year. Weigh everything against the facts, take nothing for granted. The one thing you can be certain of this year is you are being lied to.”
WATCH:
Dailycaller.com reports: Carlson pointed out during the segment on “Tucker Carlson Tonight” that Reade has changed her story since 2019. She first accused Biden of touching her neck and shoulders in an inappropriate way. Reade also said she was fired after refusing to serve drinks at an event.
The Fox News host added that Reade’s brother first told the inappropriate touching story, too. Later, Reade’s brother contacted reporters to alter his story, telling them that he did remember her telling him about the assault, Carlson said.
“Then there’s a question of Reade’s politics,” Carlson continued. “We normally wouldn’t get into that because it’s not germane, but keep in mind this story is unfolding during a presidential campaign and it’s also playing out against the backdrop of fierce infighting within the Democratic Party.”
Carlson said that Reade “appears to be strongly in the [Independent Vermont Sen.] Bernie Sanders camp.” He pointed out a tweet from Ryan Grim, a reporter for The Intercept, that read “A head-to-head Biden v Sanders contest will force voters to have a close look at Biden again. That went very badly for him last time.”
The Fox News host noted that Reade responded with a “cryptic” message that perhaps suggested her sexual assault allegation announcement was “politically timed.” Carlson said that “we don’t know that” and there’s “no evidence of it,” but that it was “interesting” and “possible.”
“It’s notable that before Joe Biden started beating Bernie Sanders in the primary, Tara Reade wasn’t attacking Joe Biden,” Carlson continued. “Instead, she had effusively positive things to say about him. In 2017, Tara Reade repeatedly praised Joe Biden for his work against sexual assault.”
Carlson made sure to point out that more than one person has backed up Reade’s story since she came forward. He also mentioned the unearthed CNN “Larry King Live” episode, which shows an unknown woman that Reade says is her mother phoning in to ask about how to deal with “problems” that her daughter had with a “prominent senator.”
He suggested these examples could serve to back up Reade’s allegation against Biden, despite inconsistencies in the story.
“It’s good to be grounded in what the facts are,” Carlson said.
