Biden Should Socially Distance From Omar & Any Other Dem Who Believes Reade

In an interview with the UK's Sunday Times, Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar said she believed Tara Reade's sexual assault claims against Joe Biden. Omar stated, "I do believe Reade. Justice can be delayed but should never be denied." She added if it was up to her Biden would not be the party's nominee. Omar was a supporter of Bernie Sanders.

Yesterday, in response to criticism of her statements, Omar tweeted:

Believing survivors is consistent with my values. Yes, I endorsed against Biden and I didn’t pick him as our nominee. With that said, in this interview I did on May 6th, we talked about that and quotes aren’t always in context. I will vote for him and help him defeat Trump.
For starters this endorsement is about as tepid as a cup of lukewarm tea. Omar has no stake in a Biden victory. His defeat gives so-called progressives more within the party. So she has no reason to go out on a limb for Biden and every incentive to undermine him.

Omar also operates on the presumption that Reade is a survivor even though this has not been established as fact. But then she suggests The Times took her out of context. In which way? Omar doesn't say. This tells me she is trying to have her cake and eat it. With friends like this, Biden doesn't need any more enemies than he has already. He does not need "allies" who are willing to be useful idiots for President Trump. The same can be said of Omar's fellow squad allies Ayanna Pressley and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who also recently made statements earlier this month lending credence to Reade's allegations.

Yet in recent days, Reade's credibility has come into question. In recent years, Reade has testified as an expert witness in various criminal proceedings claiming a degree with from Antioch College but Antioch issued a statement indicating Reade never completed a baccalaureate. This has prompted defense attorneys for clients her testimony helped convicted to move to reopen their cases.

It would also be wise to read Cathy Young's recent Quillette piece regarding Reade's divorce proceedings. As with Joe Biden, when Reade first made allegations against her ex-husband they were non-violent only to change her story.

In an interview with MSNBC earlier this month, Biden said that if anyone believes Reade then they shouldn't vote for him. He added, "I wouldn't vote for me if I believed Tara Reade."

In light of Omar's statements and that of her fellow squad members, Biden would be wise to socially distance himself from them. By stating she believes Reade, Omar is stating that she is unwilling to give Biden the presumption of innocence. In so doing, she has convicted Biden without all the facts and is now awaiting his sentence. Under these circumstances, Omar and company can do Biden no good on the campaign trail even if that campaigning is now being done virtually.

Of course, Biden has to be careful when drawing attention to Tara Reade. This is where Biden's female running mate comes into the picture. Whoever he picks for VP is going to have to be willing to defend Biden without a hint of ambiguity where it concerns Tara Reade whether it comes from the Trump campaign or from fellow Democrats. Simply put, Biden's VP pick is going to have to be willing to tell Ilhan Omar to go to hell.