What is the current status of the sexual misconduct allegations against Joe Biden?

1. The core allegation and Biden’s response

Tara Reade publicly alleged in 2020 that Biden sexually assaulted her in a Senate corridor in 1993 while she worked in his office; Biden has strongly denied the claim, saying “it absolutely did not happen” ^{[1] [5]}. Reporting framed Reade’s claim as distinct from the several other women who described Biden as “tactile” or prone to unwanted touching; those other accounts generally described uncomfortable touching, not sexual assault ^{[6] [7]}.

2. Media investigations found limited corroboration and no pattern

Major investigative reports, most notably by The New York Times, concluded that no other allegation of sexual assault against Biden surfaced during their reporting and that they found no pattern of sexual misconduct; the Times also reported that former staff members did not corroborate Reade’s specific allegations ^[1]. PBS’s reporting echoed that conclusion after interviewing dozens of former Biden staffers—none recalled rumors or incidents of sexual assault, and many said they found Reade’s account out of character for the office environment they knew ^{[4] [2]}.

3. Supporters of scrutiny and divergent interpretations

Legal scholars and commentators have urged that allegations be fairly examined rather than reflexively believed or dismissed; Harvard Law School framed the episode as a test for the #MeToo movement’s principles and argued for careful investigation rather than partisan dismissal ^[8]. Conversely, some conservative commentators and outlets have treated the allegation as proof of hypocrisy or as politically consequential, arguing Biden now faces standards he once championed ^[9].

4. Corroboration efforts, inconsistencies, and evidentiary gaps

Reporting documented efforts to locate corroborating evidence—witnesses, contemporaneous complaints, or records—and found substantial gaps: The Times and other outlets reported no staff corroboration and noted shifts in Reade’s accounts over time that critics highlighted, while supporters of Reade pointed to the seriousness of her allegation and the need for thorough inquiry ^{[1] [3]}. The absence of a contemporaneous formal complaint in 1993 and the inability of investigators to identify third-party witnesses left the allegation without the corroborative anchors that typically strengthen such claims in public reporting ^{[3] [1]}.

5. Legal and political status: no charges, ongoing public debate

No criminal charges, civil rulings, or formal investigative findings against Biden have resulted from Reade’s allegation; instead the matter has played out in media scrutiny, political debate, and public opinion ^{[1] [2]}. Reade’s later actions, including her reported travel to Russia and seeking Russian citizenship, were covered by the BBC and have been cited by critics seeking to question motives or context, but those facts do not resolve the core evidentiary questions about the 1993 claim ^[5].

6. What the reporting does—and does not—establish

The cumulative reporting establishes that a serious allegation was made publicly, that Biden denies it, and that major news outlets and scores of former staffers found no corroboration or pattern of sexual-assault behavior by Biden; it does not establish legal guilt or exoneration, nor does it resolve private factual disputes where contemporaneous evidence is lacking ^{[1] [4]}. Given the limits of public reporting and the absence of new legal proceedings, the allegation remains an unresolved, heavily contested factual claim in the public sphere ^{[1] [2]}.