Joe Biden accuser Tara Reade says she 'lost total respect' for CNN's Anderson Cooper and other TV news anchors when they failed to ask the presumptive presidential nominee about her sexual assault allegations during interviews (15 Pics)

A woman who accused Joe Biden of sexually assaulting her in 1993 says she is shocked that several mainstream TV news anchors including CNN's Anderson Cooper have failed to ask the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee about the allegations despite many opportunities to do so. 

Tara Reade came forward more than a month ago with her story that Biden forcibly kissed, groped and digitally penetrated her when she served as an aide to the then-senator from Delaware in the early 1990s.  

Since then, Biden has done nearly a dozen TV interviews with news anchors including NBC News' Chuck Todd, ABC News' George Stephanopoulos, and Cooper - none of whom brought up Reade.  

'I think it's shocking that this much time has passed and that he is an actual nominee for president and they're not asking the questions,' Reade told Fox News over the weekend. 

'He's been on "Anderson Cooper" at least twice where he was not asked.'  

Reade said the anchors' failure to address such an important issue has left her distrustful of their coverage as a whole.  

'I really would look to [Cooper] for answers and I would never do that again,' she said. 'I've lost total respect.'

Tara Reade, 56, (pictured) slammed mainstream TV news anchors for failing to address her allegations against Joe Biden during recent interviews with him

Reade says she's lost 'total respect' for CNN's Anderson Cooper because he failed to ask Biden about her allegations during two interviews after they came to light late last month. Cooper and Biden are seen in one of the interviews on March 27 

'There are two things happening at once,' she continued. '[Biden] is not making himself accessible to be asked the question. 

'And when he does make himself accessible, they are not asking, those anchors. 

'And so that tells there may be a political agenda behind that and that's gross. ... I'm a survivor and I would like the question asked.'  

Reade also speculated that if the target of the allegation was conservative, anchors would take a much more aggressive approach when interviewing them.  

'I guess my question is, if this were Donald Trump, would they treat it the same way? If this were Brett Kavanaugh, did they treat it the same way?' Reade asked. 

'In other words, it's politics and political agenda playing a role in objective reporting and asking the question.' 

DailyMail.com has reached out to CNN, NBC News and ABC News for comment about Reade's criticisms.  

ABC News host George Stephanopoulos also failed to address Reade's allegations during a March 27 interview (pictured)

NBC News anchor Chuck Todd interviewed Biden on March 29 (pictured) and did not mention Reade's allegations, which she aired on a podcast four days prior 

Reade was among the women who came out last year alleging Biden was too handsy, but did not make her allegation of sexual assault until appearing on journalist Katie Halper's podcast on March 25.

Reade told Halper that the assault occurred after she was told to deliver a gym bag to the then-senator. Reade said she tracked down Biden on Capitol Hill and he remembered her name.

'And then we were alone. And it was the strangest thing. There was no, like, exchange really, he just had me up against the wall,' she said.

She said she was wearing a work skirt, but no pantyhose.

'He just had me up against the wall and the wall was cold,' she said. 'His hands were on me and underneath my clothes. He went down my skirt and then up inside it and he penetrated me with his fingers. He was kissing me at the same time,' she said.

She said that when she 'pulled back', Biden 'looked annoyed'.

Reade said Biden said to her: 'Come on man, I heard you liked me.'

'He implied that I had done this,' she told the podcast host.

At first Reade didn't want to mention the other quote that got stuck in her head, but then she told Halper what it was.

'You're nothing to me,' she claimed the senator said to her. 'Nothing.'

Reade posted an image on social media of what she looked like in 1993, the year she alleged Biden sexually assaulted her 

Reade said that she had attempted to bring up her concerns about the alleged assault to her superiors in Biden's office but got nowhere. 

She also said her duties were cut after she refused to serve drinks at an event. Biden, she claims, had wanted her serving because he liked her legs. The former staffer said she later felt pushed out and left in August 1993 after only nine months.

Biden and his campaign have fiercely denied the claims.

'What is clear about this claim: it is untrue. This absolutely did not happen,' Biden Deputy Campaign Manager Kate Bedingfield said in a statement.

'Vice President Biden has dedicated his public life to changing the culture and the laws around violence against women. He authored and fought for the passage and reauthorization of the landmark Violence Against Women Act. He firmly believes that women have a right to be heard - and heard respectfully. Such claims should also be diligently reviewed by an independent press.'

Biden's campaign pushed back vehemently after Reade's claims, providing a character witness to DailyMail.com and other outlets. The presidential candidate is pictured with his wife Jill during a campaign stop in Philadelphia last month

Reade filed a criminal complaint against Biden with police in Washington, DC, on April 9.

On Thursday, Reade's claims were bolstered when a 1993 video emerged in which an anonymous woman later revealed to be the accuser's mother, Jeannette Altimus, called in to CNN's Larry King Live and asked the TV host and his panel about 'problems' her daughter had with a 'prominent senator'. 

Reade, who was in her 20s at the time of the alleged assault, had previously revealed Altimus called into the show when she told her about the sexual assault claims 27 years ago but was unable to remember the exact date or year of the phone call.

When news of her official complaint against Biden first emerged, Reade said she had told her mother, brother and a friend about the assault at the time. She said her mother urged her to go to the police.

Her brother Collin Moulton and the anonymous friend confirmed this, but Altimus died in 2016.

The new clip was discovered by The Intercept and Reade confirmed that it was her mother's voice on Twitter.

'I remember it being an anonymous call and her saying my daughter was sexually harassed and retaliated against and fired, where can she go for help? I was mortified,' Reade told The Intercept.

The CNN clip does not reference sexual harassment or anyone being fired but features an anonymous woman asking if her daughter should go to the press because of problems with a senator.

The interview featured in a program King aired on August 11, 1993, titled, 'Washington: The Cruelest City on Earth?' and the caller was identified as a woman dialing in from San Luis Obispo, California.

Records show that August 1993 was the last month Reade worked with Biden's office and that Altimus was living in San Luis Obispo County at the time.

A new clip appears to show Tara Reade's mother Jeanette Altimus calling into Larry King and asking about her 'problems' with a 'prominent senator' in 1993. The clip does not mention sexual assault allegations. Reade filed a formal complaint against the VP this month

Rich McHugh

✔@RichMcHugh

Video@ReadeAlexandra — is this your Mom’s voice? https://twitter.com/ryangrim/status/1253756644191809538 …

Ryan Grim

✔@ryangrim

In August '93, the month Tara Reade left Biden's office, a woman called the Larry King show saying her daughter had problems at a prominent senator's office but did not want to go to the press about it. The woman was Reade's late mother. https://theintercept.com/2020/04/24/new-evidence-tara-reade-joe-biden/ …

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'I'm wondering what a staffer would do besides go to the press in Washington?' the caller asked.

'My daughter has just left there, after working for a prominent senator, and could not get through with her problems at all, and the only thing she could have done was go to the press, and she chose not to do it out of respect for him.'

The panel did not offer any suggestions or advice to the caller but talked about whether they would leak news on a rival to the press.

Reade responded to the clip on Twitter, identifying the voice as her mother's.

'This is my mom. I miss her so much and her brave support of me,' she wrote.

'I discussed the Larry King call w reporters last year and on Katie Halper publicly. Thank you for posting.

'I miss my mom as she died 4 years ago. Her indignation of how I was treated prompted her to reach out in 1993.

'Thank you to those who found the Larry King episode I told reporters about.

'My mother was so brave and supportive. It has been an emotional day to hear her voice again. How I wish she knew how much I appreciated her love hug your mother if you can.'

CNN mentioned the Larry King episode and issued a report on its website on Saturday afternoon - marking the first time the network has addressed Reade's claim.  

Reade confirmed the voice on Larry King was her mother, Jeanette Altimus

Just before filing the complaint on April 9, Reade said in a tweet (pictured) that those who 'silence sexual assault & sexual harassment survivors' are complicit in the alleged abuse, without naming whom she was referring to. Biden has denied the accusations

Over the past several days Reade's story has gained traction on social media as supporters of Biden's former rival Bernie Sanders slammed leaders of the Democratic Party over their silence on the allegations.  

The hashtag #DropOutBiden began trending on Twitter on Saturday as Sanders supporters expressed their fury over the timid response to Reade's claims.  

Many point out that the Democratic Party mobilized en masse to try and derail the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court after decades-old allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced.

The lack of attention given to the Reade allegations are likely due to the fact that Biden is ahead in polls against the incumbent, President Trump, and that defeating the Republican in November is paramount to anything else, observers say.

Glenn Greenwald, the journalist from The Intercept who is a critic of Biden and a supporter of Sanders, tweeted: 'Liberals are destroying all the #MeToo progress right before your eyes in order to protect Biden and trash his accuser as an unstable liar.

'Nobody is going to tolerate sex assault accusations and 'Believe Women!' dictates be weaponized & used so manipulatively for partisan ends.'

Nathan J. Robinson, the editor of the left-wing magazine Current Affairs, tweeted: 'I am trying to WARN Democrats, before Biden has actually been nominated, that they face a potential huge problem in November.

'Why do you think Trump hasn't mentioned this [allegation] yet?

'He is smart enough to know he should wait to use it until Democrats can't replace Biden.'

Peter Daou, a Sanders supporter and former adviser to ex-Secretary of State John Kerry, called on Biden to withdraw, tweeting: 'Credible rape accusations are disqualifying or we have NO moral standards.'

'In 1993 the mother of Tara Reade was so disturbed by what her daughter told her @JoeBiden did to her, & the lack of help she said she got from his staff, that she called Larry King to talk about it the week Tara stopped working for him,' said activist and prominent Sanders surrogate Shaun King.

'TARA READE IS TELLING THE TRUTH', tweeted actress and #MeToo advocate Rose McGowan. 

Shaun King, a Sanders surrogate, said on Twitter that prominent Democrats won't speak up in support of Reade because 'they think it will help Trump'

A professor who is an expert on sexual trauma tweeted that he found Reade's allegations 'credible' and that Biden should quit the race

Krystal Ball, a media personality and Sanders supporter, said the new revelations bolster Reade's credibility

Journalist Glenn Greenwald tweeted that 'liberals are destroying all the #MeToo progress right before your eyes in order to protect Biden and trash his accuser as an unstable liar'