Tara Reade, the woman who came forward in 2020 with a sexual assault allegation against then-candidate Joe Biden, is suing the Department of Justice over alleged misconduct.
A lawyer for Reade filed a tort claim on Wednesday seeking $10 million ‘for infliction of emotional distress and anxiety’ following what was described as an ‘FBI operation’ that was conducted after she came forward with her accusation against Biden. The tort claim alleges Reade’s Fourth Amendment right was violated as well as violations of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and state privacy laws.
Included in the tort claim was a July 2020 grand jury subpoena issued to Twitter from the US District Court for the Eastern District of California demanding all records pertaining to Reade’s Twitter accounts.
The tort claim outlines several allegations against the FBI, insisting it was behind suspicious occurrences like disruptions in her bank accounts and a manuscript of her book that had gone missing from a FedEx shipment in November 2020 that further detailed her claims against Biden.
‘The United States should not have a two-tiered justice system,’ Reade’s attorney Jonathan Levy said in a statement. ‘If President Trump and Mr. Giuliani can be assessed tens of millions in damages for their words; a weaponized FBI that seeks to silence, intimidate and eliminate Joe Biden’s victim, Tara Reade, must also be held accountable; failing to do so means our justice and legal system has become an instrument of political oppression and suppression.’
The DOJ declined to comment.
Last month, Reade’s lawyer sent a letter to the DOJ Inspector General’s Office requesting the release of all FBI files it has on her and to expunge any cases.
Reade came forward in 2020 alleging Biden had sexually assaulted her on Capitol Hill in 1993 while she served as his Senate staffer. Biden denied her claims.
Last year, Reade made headlines when she revealed she had moved to Russia citing safety concerns.
