6th May 2020, 4:49 PM
You cover a lot of the reasons to question the story here, including a few things I didn't know about -- I didn't realize she had edited her old posts to add significant things like that in, that's not good. I hadn't heard her two different stories about her trip to D.C. either, why would you do that?
One thing you missed, though -- that some of the reporters .working on this story have "helped" some of the witnesses remember what she told them. Before the brother texted back "oh yeah she said he fingered me"? One of the reporters , Nathan Robinson, talked to him about it. A reporter talked to the neighbor before she came forward with her story that she was told in the mid '90s, too. I believe Tara Reade talked to both of them as well before they said anything publicly. I'm not saying they didn't have real stories to remember, they may have, but that is called coaching a witness. You remind the witness what it is they should be remembering, and if done well they think it's what they remember all along, whether or not it is...
Also, before announcing the enhanced charge, Tara Reade and one of the journalists, Ryan Grim, were tweeting. Grim said 'Biden will not be the nominee', to which Reade replied a message saying 'tic toc', as in, the Twitter term for 'leak/news coming soon, wait for it'. I don't think that is how anyone should be announcing a serious charge like that, much less admitting that they are doing it for political reasons!
So, if any parts of her story are true, as at least the 2019 charge may be because that's the kind of thing Biden does, her constantly changing stories and the nakedly political-hit elements of the story have damaged her credibility too much for most people to keep believing her, I think, apart from those who already want to hate Biden.
Oh, and have you heard about the part where (I believe this happened in '16 or so) she tried to scam a horse charity she worked for by charging a $1400 vet bill for her own personal horse to the charity's account? Or read the somewhat nuts letter she sent them when they called her on it and said 'no, you will need to pay that back'? She acted like they were doing something horrible by making her pay that back, said she'd never work with them again, etc. A scan of the letter's out there. I know the Russia stuff is bad, but so is this. People who work for the charity say she was a serial liar.
As for the Russia stuff....
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/12436...92832.html
She supposedly had $400,000 of debt in 2017, somehow, just before she changed her name and started to praise Putin. This is also after the incident where she had to leave these charity after trying to scam it. Also, she also has a deleted Russian-language blog post where she attacks Mueller and quotes a Putin spokesman. I am not a conspiracy theorist so I don't think I believe the "she's just doing this because Putin is paying her" explanation, but there is enough there to seriously wonder.
Despite all this, I'm sure the allegation is hurting Biden's poll numbers a bit. For the most part Biden is far ahead, but a few polls show it closer. The gap should increase even more as times goes on if nothing much more comes of the allegation, though, as right now seems likely.
Like, we knew this would be the Trump supporters' play -- to hurt Biden with his weakness, his known creepy behavior towards women. With Bernie it would be socialism, with Warren her claim to Native American heritage and her gender, etc... there was going to be something nasty from that side regardless, and with Biden this kind of charge is it. They're desperate to win in November whatever it takes.
One thing you missed, though -- that some of the reporters .working on this story have "helped" some of the witnesses remember what she told them. Before the brother texted back "oh yeah she said he fingered me"? One of the reporters , Nathan Robinson, talked to him about it. A reporter talked to the neighbor before she came forward with her story that she was told in the mid '90s, too. I believe Tara Reade talked to both of them as well before they said anything publicly. I'm not saying they didn't have real stories to remember, they may have, but that is called coaching a witness. You remind the witness what it is they should be remembering, and if done well they think it's what they remember all along, whether or not it is...
Also, before announcing the enhanced charge, Tara Reade and one of the journalists, Ryan Grim, were tweeting. Grim said 'Biden will not be the nominee', to which Reade replied a message saying 'tic toc', as in, the Twitter term for 'leak/news coming soon, wait for it'. I don't think that is how anyone should be announcing a serious charge like that, much less admitting that they are doing it for political reasons!
So, if any parts of her story are true, as at least the 2019 charge may be because that's the kind of thing Biden does, her constantly changing stories and the nakedly political-hit elements of the story have damaged her credibility too much for most people to keep believing her, I think, apart from those who already want to hate Biden.
Oh, and have you heard about the part where (I believe this happened in '16 or so) she tried to scam a horse charity she worked for by charging a $1400 vet bill for her own personal horse to the charity's account? Or read the somewhat nuts letter she sent them when they called her on it and said 'no, you will need to pay that back'? She acted like they were doing something horrible by making her pay that back, said she'd never work with them again, etc. A scan of the letter's out there. I know the Russia stuff is bad, but so is this. People who work for the charity say she was a serial liar.
As for the Russia stuff....
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/12436...92832.html
She supposedly had $400,000 of debt in 2017, somehow, just before she changed her name and started to praise Putin. This is also after the incident where she had to leave these charity after trying to scam it. Also, she also has a deleted Russian-language blog post where she attacks Mueller and quotes a Putin spokesman. I am not a conspiracy theorist so I don't think I believe the "she's just doing this because Putin is paying her" explanation, but there is enough there to seriously wonder.
Despite all this, I'm sure the allegation is hurting Biden's poll numbers a bit. For the most part Biden is far ahead, but a few polls show it closer. The gap should increase even more as times goes on if nothing much more comes of the allegation, though, as right now seems likely.
Like, we knew this would be the Trump supporters' play -- to hurt Biden with his weakness, his known creepy behavior towards women. With Bernie it would be socialism, with Warren her claim to Native American heritage and her gender, etc... there was going to be something nasty from that side regardless, and with Biden this kind of charge is it. They're desperate to win in November whatever it takes.