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Former Vice President Joe Biden has largely avoided the media in the days following a resurfaced clip of a "Larry King Live" episode from 1993 that appears to include the mother of Tara Reade -- who has accused Biden of sexual assault -- alluding to the harassment her daughter has alleged.
Biden's silence has prompted critics to cast doubts on his candidacy as the presumptive Democratic nominee while members of his own party remain hesitant to throw their support behind him as the best candidate to beat President Trump come November.
When speaking to WJBK -- an affiliate of Fox News in Detroit -- Biden focused on issues surrounding the coronavirus pandemic and lambasted Trump for making "nothing but excuses" about his handling of the outbreak.
Biden was not asked about the allegations made by Reade, who claims the former senator from Delaware sexually assaulted her when she was a staffer in his office; no other news outlet has publicly asked him about the incident.
Fox News reached out to the Biden campaign on Friday for comment after The Intercept first reported the transcript from a "Larry King Live" broadcast that aired Aug. 11, 1993. The campaign referred Fox News to a statement earlier this month from Biden Deputy Campaign Manager Kate Bedingfield that said: “What is clear about this claim: it is untrue. This absolutely did not happen."
"Vice President Biden has dedicated his public life to changing the culture and the laws around violence against women," Bedingfield said. "He authored and fought for the passage and reauthorization of the landmark Violence Against Women Act. He firmly believes that women have a right to be heard -- and heard respectfully. Such claims should also be diligently reviewed by an independent press."
Fox News Digital covered Reade's sexual-assault allegation against Biden when she first revealed it during a podcast interview last month, and Fox News has covered the case extensively since the "Larry King Live" footage surfaced late last week.
Reade first came forth against Biden last year, along with seven other women who said they were the victims of unwanted kissing, hugging or touching from the Democratic candidate for president.
It wasn't until an interview with podcast host Katie Halper in March that Reade revealed the details of the alleged encounter with Biden.
“His hands were on me and underneath my clothes, and he went down my skirt and then up inside it and he penetrated me with his fingers and he was kissing me at the same time and he was saying some things to me," she said during the interview.
At least two people familiar with the account have made claims to corroborate Reade's story, but Biden has not acknowledged the allegations.
Instead, he has pushed forward with campaign promises to select a female vice president and nominate a black woman to the Supreme Court if elected president.
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On Tuesday, Hillary Clinton announced her endorsement of Biden at an event livestreamed online and he seized on the opportunity to tout his record on women's issues and the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on women -- but again made no mention of Reade.
“Violence against women is a huge problem, and especially right now,” he said. Biden insisted that reducing violence against women was “the leading cause of my life,” and encouraged victims to call, text or message the National Domestic Violence Hotline.
Fox News' Joey Wulfsohn contributed to this report.
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