Biden accuser dropped by #MeToo lawyer

The lawyer for Tara Reade, the former Senate aide who has accused Joe Biden of sexual assault, said Friday that he was no longer representing her, just two weeks after taking her on as a client.

The lawyer, Douglas H. Wigdor, has been a leading plaintiff’s attorney of the #MeToo era. His firm is best known for bringing discrimination cases against Fox News and its former star host Bill O’Reilly, and Harvey Weinstein; and his presence at Reade’s side gave her claims added legal heft.

His announced departure came a day after defense lawyers in California said they were reviewing criminal cases in which Reade served as an expert witness on domestic violence, concerned that she had misrepresented her educational credentials in court.

While not providing a reason for leaving, Wigdor said his decision was “by no means a reflection on whether then-Sen. Biden sexually assaulted Ms. Reade,” adding that he was among the 55% of Americans who believe her, according to a Harvard CAPSHarris Poll.

Wigdor, a conservative Republican whose support for President Donald Trump in 2016 did not preclude him from suing prominent Trump allies, had a parting shot for the news media, which he accused of applying a “double standard” to its coverage of accusations against the presumed Democratic nominee.

“Much of what has been written about Ms. Reade is not probative of whether then-Sen. Biden sexually assaulted her, but rather is intended to victim-shame and attack her credibility on unrelated and irrelevant matters,” he said. “We have and will continue to represent survivors regardless of their alleged predator’s status or politics.”

Reade declined to comment on her lawyer’s departure.