Media top headlines August 26
In media news today, an ABC News insider blasts George Stephanopoulos for role in a 'GMA' lawsuit, the White House cuts off audio feed before Biden's response to a question about Afghanistan, and NY Magazine complains the media 'manufactured' Biden's Afghanistan crisis
Tara Reade, the former Senate staffer who alleged last year that Joe Biden sexually assaulted her in 1993, blasted outgoing Time's Up CEO Tina Tchen for not offering an apology amid damning revelations about the women's organization.
Tchen announced her resignation from the group on Thursday as the world was focused on the deadly terror attacks in Kabul that have left at least 13 U.S. servicemen dead.
"I have spent a career fighting for positive change for women and I've never stopped. Leading TIME'S UP has been a hugely rewarding experience and we have accomplished much together that has made work better for women across the country," Tchen said in a lengthy statement.
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"Now is the time for TIME'S UP to evolve and move forward as there is so much more work to do for women. It is clear that I am not the leader who can accomplish that in this moment. I am especially aware that my position at the helm of TIME'S UP has become a painful and divisive focal point… Therefore, it is time for me to resign and continue to work for change in other ways, and to let TIME'S UP engage in the thoughtful and meaningful process I know will occur to move forward," Tchen later added.
Reade blasted Tchen's statement.
"No apology @TinaTchen?" Reade asked. "The pain @TIMESUPNOW & @TIMESUPLDF & harm you all caused myself & other survivors violating our trust & supporting the powerful men who abused us. My life was destroyed coming forward about Biden by Anita Dunn’s SKD PR firm. You all are complicit to rape."
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In a statement to Fox News, Reade also called the resignation of co-founder and board member Hilary Rosen and "all staff" with political ties to the Democratic Party.
"You cannot reform this. The leadership must step down and away," Reade told Fox News.
Time's Up did not immediately respond to Fox News' request for comment.
Tchen's resignation comes amid the fallout of two damning reports from The Washington Post and The New York Times that documented the Time's Up drama that occurred after Lindsey Boylan came forward in December announcing her former boss, then-Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, sexually harassed her.
The Post reported on Wednesday that Tchen told her colleagues to "stand down" in releasing a statement in support of Boylan as they were communicating with top Cuomo aide Melissa DeRosa, a revelation that followed another from New York Attorney General Letitia James, who revealed in her own report that then-Time's Up chairwoman Roberta Kaplan, who has since resigned, colluded with DeRosa in drafting Cuomo's response to Boylan's allegations.
Tchen reportedly resisted issuing a statement reacting to Boylan's initial tweet at the time claiming she was sexually harassed by the governor after a Fox News reporter reached out for comment.
Rosen, a CNN contributor, was allegedly concerned about the negative impact of giving Fox News "a headline to run all day." She told the Post that she thought "serious allegations of sexual harassment should not be politicized" in an attempt to explain her objection.
Last week, The New York Times shed light on Tchen's conduct when Reade came forward with her assault allegation against then-Democratic candidate Joe Biden.
Tchen, a former aide to both Barack and Michelle Obama, reportedly halted several women's groups from releasing a joint statement urging Biden to address Reade's claims. Tchen, who was in direct contact with the Biden campaign, did not want Time's Up to get in the way as Biden was expected to break his silence, according to the Times.
The Times noted the same day Biden addressed Reade's allegations on MSNBC, Tchen appeared on the network that same day and commended his transparency and how that evening she attended an online fundraising event for the Biden campaign. Time's Up also issued a complimentary statement that day.
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Reade, who wrote the memoir "Left Out: When the Truth Doesn't Fit In" about her experience coming forward with her assault allegation, was one of eight women who came forward in 2019 to accuse the then-Democratic candidate of inappropriate touching.
A year later, Reade revealed her sexual assault claim on "The Katie Halper Show." Biden repeatedly denied her claims on the campaign trail.
Before going public, Reade sought help from the Time's Up Legal Defense Fund in January 2020 to help defray the costs of public relations and legal fees. However, while the organization offered attorney referrals, she said they denied her funding, citing concerns it could affect its nonprofit 501(c)(3) status as her allegation is against a politician actively running for office.