MSNBC host Chris Hayes sparked backlash from the left when he became the first prime-time host on the network to cover a former aide’s sexual assault allegations against presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, with the hashtag “FireChrisHayes” trending on Twitter.
The “All-In” host welcomed New York magazine’s Rebecca Traister to his program Wednesday night after she penned an essay, titled “The Biden Trap,” that was critical of the former vice president for not addressing Tara Reade’s allegations in any interviews, thereby leaving Democratic women supporting his candidacy to answer questions about the allegations for him.
Biden has conducted dozens of national and local interviews in recent weeks, but has yet to be asked about the allegations. His campaign denied the allegations in a statement on March 28.
“What this is creating is a kind of a perfect storm where the women who are being asked to support his opponent are now being asked to answer for these charges,” Traister told Hayes. “In part because of the vacuum created by Joe Biden, who is not yet really directly answering these questions, and certainly, not doing what I wish he would, which is to say: ‘Please direct your questions about these allegations to me, and not the women that are out there offering their support to my candidacy.’”
“The man in question, the nominee, the former vice president, is going to have to address them,” Hayes argued. “And not have [former Democratic Georgia gubernatorial candidate] Stacey Abrams or anyone else, or [Sen.] Kirsten Gillibrand [D-N.Y.] do that.”
Abrams is reportedly on a list of candidates Biden is considering to be his running mate.
She told CNN’s Don Lemon on Tuesday night that she believed Biden while citing a New York Times investigation written earlier this month, before more corroboration of Reade’s allegations was reported.
“The New York Times did a deep investigation and they found that the accusation was not credible. I believe Joe Biden,” she said.
The Times later pushed back on the assertion it had cleared Biden of any wrongdoing.
“Our investigation made no conclusion either way,” a Times spokesperson said in a Wednesday statement.
Several journalists praised Hayes for covering the story while knowing the potential for backlash from some on the left.
Reade said last month that Biden sexually assaulted her in a secluded part of Capitol Hill when he was a senator in 1993.
She was one of several women who came forward last year to say that Biden’s public touching had made her uncomfortable. He later said he would adjust his behavior.
This week, Reade’s former neighbor said she recalled a discussion with her about the alleged assault at the time. Reade’s brother also previously said that she told him that Biden “had his hand under her clothes at some point.”
Reade has said that she confronted Biden’s aides, but the aides Reade listed have gone on the record to say that they were never confronted about the allegation.
Reade also says she filed a complaint with the human resources office in the Senate about the allegations of inappropriate touching. Media outlets, however, have not been able to track down the complaint.
And she said she believes the complaint is in Biden’s archives at the University of Delaware, which is currently not releasing the former vice president’s records.
Reade did not file a police report at the time. She filed one with the Washington, D.C., police last month.