(Bloomberg) -- Joe Biden will address Tara Reade's sexual-assault allegations for the first time Friday in an interview on MSNBC, the network announced Thursday.
Reade, a former aide in Biden's Senate office, said that in 1993, Biden pushed her against a wall in a Senate office building, put his hand up her skirt and sexually assaulted her with his fingers.
The Biden campaign has denied the allegations as have other former Biden aides, but the presumptive Democratic nominee has yet to address Reade's claims himself. MSNBC said Biden would be joining “Morning Joe” to do so for the first time.
Pressure has been building on Biden to discuss the issue, as Democrats wrestle with supporting their nominee while also backing the #Metoo movement. The party's leadership has so far stood behind Biden, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi telling reporters on Thursday that she has “a great comfort level” in supporting Biden's candidacy.
As Biden begins the process of selecting his running mate, who he promised would be a woman, the allegations could complicate his ability to unite the Democratic Party and serve as its standard bearer.
On Thursday, President Donald Trump told reporters that while he didn't “know anything about it,” the former vice president should respond.
“It could be false accusations,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “I know all about false accusations. I've been falsely charged numerous times. There is such a thing.”
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