Putin grants Russian citizenship to Tara Reade, the former Senate aide who accused Biden of sexual assault and later moved to Moscow

Vladimir Putin granted citizenship to Tara Reade, a former Biden Senate aide who accused the then-future president of sexual assault in 2020. An official Kremlin decree announcing Reade’s new citizenship identifies her as “Alexandra Tara McCabe,” born February 26, 1964. Reade changed her legal name from Tara Reade to Alexandra McCabe after separating from her husband in the late 1990s.

The move highlights Russia’s continued efforts to provide sanctuary to Americans who have become controversial figures in U.S. politics, similar to Edward Snowden’s receipt of Russian citizenship in September 2022. Reade worked briefly as a Senate aide for Biden in the early 1990s before accusing him in 2020 of sexually assaulting her in a Capitol office building in 1993 — allegations Biden categorically denies. Her accusations surfaced during Biden’s presidential campaign but did not result in formal charges.

Reade moved to Moscow in 2023, claiming she faced threats in the U.S. after repeating her accusations when Biden announced his re-election bid. She appeared at Russian state media events and granted an interview to Tucker Carlson during his visit to Moscow in February 2024. Since relocating, she has worked with Russian propaganda outlet RT. Russian citizenship typically requires five years of legal residency, though Putin has made exceptions for high-profile cases.