Ex-Biden aide receives Russian passport

Former US Senate staffer and RT contributor Tara Reade says becoming a Russian citizen is an “honor and a privilege”

Tara Reade, a former US Senate aide to Joe Biden, received a Russian passport on Saturday and told RT what her new citizenship means to her.

Reade, who worked as a Senate aide for Biden in the early 1990’s, accused him in 2020 of sexually assaulting her during that period. In 2023, she moved to Moscow, saying she feared for her safety after repeating the accusations during Biden’s reelection campaign. The former US president has denied the accusations.

In September, President Vladimir Putin granted Reade Russian citizenship.

“It was quite a beautiful ceremony, and I feel so lucky. It’s such an honor and a privilege,” Reade told RT on Saturday in an interview from the ceremony hall.

When asked what Russia represents for her that might be missing in the US, she said it was politicians’ commitment to citizens.

Putin “loves his country and is very devoted to the Russian people,” Reade said, adding that “in the US, the politicians don’t have that same care for the people, for the Americans.”

“In Russia, people are very happy. You have a thriving middle class. You have a thriving economy, even under all these sanctions. It’s amazing.”

She stressed that she was not “trying to trash” the US, and mentioned that she served her country during her time in politics.

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Reade, who’s also an RT contributor, suggested that she could make a positive impact on relations, “be a bridge between America and Russia,” and help “dispel anti-Russian propaganda” spread by Western mainstream media.