The presumptive Democratic nominee for the US Presidential elections, Joe Biden, has said he is in support of sexual assaulters in the military being brought to book while survivors be supported, days after new evidence erupted alleging he sexually assaulted former Senate staffer Tara Reade in 1993 while she worked for him.
Joe Biden was part of a virtual fundraiser on Wednesday evening, and he notably was not asked about the sexual assault allegation made by Reade.
But a woman named Nancy Parrish, who is an advocate of combating sexual assault in the military, asked the former Vice President what he would do about sexual assault in the military.
She asked Biden, if he will support “moving the military justice system into the 21st century by empowering experienced military prosecutors to make prosecution decisions for non-military crimes — serious felonies like rape, murder, and child abuse.”
To which Biden responded;
“The answer is yes, yes, yes,” “When I was vice president, that was my position as well.’
As a matter of fact, I had a real run-in with one of the members of the Joint Chiefs in the Cabinet Room on that issue. Look, we have to change the culture of abuse in this country, especially in armed services.”
Biden promised that “survivors” of sexual assault in the military will be “supported” and “abusers” will be “held accountable for their crimes.”
“Number one: I will order the Defense Department to take urgent and aggressive action to make sure survivors are in fact supported and abusers are held accountable for their crimes.
”Independently, I’d immediately appoint a commission of current and former military leaders, sexual-assault survivors and their advocates and sexual-assault experts, and give them 90 days to make concrete recommendations to me, including on prosecution decisions.”
