Attorney Doug Wigdor is no longer representing Tara Reade in her case against former Vice President Joe Biden, The Hill reports.
Reade, a former Senate aide to Biden, accused Biden of sexually assaulting her in a corridor on Capitol Hill in 1993. Biden has denied the allegations.
Wigdor did not give a specific reason for dropping Reade as a client, but said in a statement on Friday that his decision “is by no means a reflection on whether then-Senator Biden sexually assaulted Ms. Reade.”
“On that point, our view — which is the same view held by the majority of Americans, according to a Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll — has not changed,” Wigdor said in a statement sent to reporters, referencing a poll that indicates a majority of voters believe Reade's allegations against Biden are true.
“We also believe that to a large extent Ms. Reade has been subjected to a double standard in terms of the media coverage she has received,” he said. “Much of what has been written about Ms. Reade is not probative of whether then-Senator Biden sexually assaulted her, but rather is intended to victim-shame and attack her credibility on unrelated and irrelevant matters.”
He said he hopes Reade is treated fairly.
“We genuinely wish Ms. Reade well and hope that she, as a survivor, is treated fairly,” Wigdor said. “We have and will continue to represent survivors regardless of their alleged predator’s status or politics.”
Wigdor previously represented accusers of both Harvey Weinstein and Bill O’Reilly.
The news comes one day after defense lawyers in California said they were reviewing whether Reade misrepresented her credentials in cases where she testified as an expert witness, Politico reports.