Biden claims warrant scrutiny

Sexual assault allegations against Joe Biden, the putative US Democratic presidential candidate, warrant the same scrutiny that targeted Donald Trump’s candidacy in 2016 and Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination in 2018.

It’s not good enough that Mr Biden, finding himself caught in the headlights amid allegations he molested a Senate staffer, Tara Reade, 27 years ago, has apparently gone back on the standards he demanded previously of others. “For a woman to come forward in the glaring lights of focus, nationally, you’ve got to start off with the presumption that at least the essence of what she’s talking about is real, whether or not she forgets facts, whether or not it’s been made worse or better over time,” he said in strongly backing the #MeToo-led campaign against Judge Kavanaugh over alleged sexual impropriety. There were no caveats then from him about the presumption of innocence or proper investigations to establish the truth.

In dismissing Ms Reade’s allegations and unequivocally insisting they “never, never happened, it’s as simple as that”, Mr Biden is singing a different tune. Asked whether “women should be believed unless it pertains to you?”, he replied: “Women have a right to be heard, and the press should rigorously investigate claims they make. But in the end, in every case, the truth is what matters.” He has also refused to open a trove of his Senate records, which could potentially contain evidence of a complaint from Ms Reade.

The cornerstone of Mr Biden’s campaign to oust Mr Trump from the White House, he claims, is to “restore the soul of America”. But the double standard and attempts at obfuscation he is showing in dealing with Ms Reade’s allegations raise doubts.

In winning in 2016, Mr Trump showed that being accused of serial sexual misdemeanours is no bar to victory in US politics (he was accused of sexual assault by more than a dozen women). But Mr Biden is running as the anti-Trump on character and personal probity. He leads in most major polls. But his perceived unwillingness to be fully transparent about Ms Reade’s claims is unlikely to help his prospects.