Last week Tara Reade canceled her scheduled interview with Fox News and CNN’s Don Lemon has claimed she also canceled an interview with his network. In both cases, Reade cited death threats she was receiving as the reason. But today, Megyn Kelly announced that she had completed an interview with Reade which would be released shortly:

MK EXCLUSIVE: Former Biden staffer #TaraReade, who accuses FMR VP #JoeBiden of sexually assaulting her in 1993, sits down w/me in her first on-camera interview since Mr. Biden denied her accusations. Her story & some tough Q’s in a riveting exchange. A ton of news coming … pic.twitter.com/8bvTntUIm8

— Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) May 7, 2020

Rich McHugh, the person who wrote the Business Insider piece about Reade’s allegations, also tweeted about the interview:

Just wrapped an exclusive interview with Former Biden Staffer @ReadeAlexandra, who accuses FMR VP Joe Biden of sexually assaulting her in 1993. She sits down with @megynkelly for her first on-camera interview since Mr. Biden denied her accusations. Stay tuned… pic.twitter.com/ki8ZwrNCqg

— Rich McHugh (@RichMcHugh) May 7, 2020

As I write this, the first clip from that interview has just been released. In it, Reade responds to Biden’s on-air denials at MSNBC: “You and I were there, Joe Biden. Please, step forward and be held accountable. You should not be running on character for the President of the United States.” Asked if she thinks Biden should withdraw from the race, Reade replied, “I wish he would, but he won’t. But I wish he would. That’s how I feel emotionally.”

MK EXCLUSIVE: #TaraReade responds to #JoeBiden; calls for him to drop out pic.twitter.com/jxHAUYaWVU

— Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) May 7, 2020

That’s all that has been published thus far, but already the Biden supporters are lining up to pick this apart:

So her motive IS political. Thanks for confirming that even further Megyn!!!!! We have known that all along, but she just said it out loud.

— Jules – Forever Ridin' with Biden #46 (@jules1327) May 7, 2020

Because, sure.

She doesn't want an admission – via an apology.
She just wants him to drop out.

Did you ask her what day of the week it was, BTW?

— random facts girl (@soychicka) May 7, 2020

https://twitter.com/TheHFWarrior/status/1258486663224987649

And to be fair, Reade is getting some support, though to be fair the people offering that support were never Joe Biden fans in the first place:

#IBelieveTara and you should too! ✊❤️

— Jen 🌹 (@socialistpisces) May 7, 2020

I’m limiting myself to accounts with over 1,000 followers but there’s a lot more like this.

While we’re waiting for the rest of the interview to appear, lots of Tara Reade skeptics are pointing to this Vox piece published today as further reason not to believe her:

If Reade had told a consistent story and shared all of her corroborating sources with reporters, if those sources had told a consistent story, if the Union piece had shaken loose other cases like hers, or if there were “smoking gun” evidence in Biden’s papers, her account might have been reported on differently in mainstream media a year ago. It is not fair to an individual survivor that their claims require an extraordinary level of confirmation, but it’s what reporters have found is necessary for their stories to hold up to public scrutiny and successfully hold powerful men accountable. So we are here…

All of this leaves me where no reporter wants to be: mired in the miasma of uncertainty. I wanted to believe Reade when she first came to me, and I worked hard to find the evidence to make certain others would believe her, too. I couldn’t find it. None of that means Reade is lying, but it leaves us in the limbo of Me Too: a story that may be true but that we can’t prove.

The piece closes with a reference to the kind of “utilitarian bargain” which some Biden supporters are now urging voters to make, even if they believe Tara Reade is telling the truth [emphasis added]:

Many liberals have said now and during the Franken saga that the Democratic Party has held itself to a ridiculous standard. Donald Trump has admitted on tape to what Reade accuses Biden of doing and still denies the accounts of more than 20 women who have accused him of sexual misconduct. And given that the goal of beating Trump is paramount this fall, some see dwelling on an accusation that has yet to be definitively proven as a damaging distraction.

To Reade, though, none of this is that complicated.

“My story never changed. I just didn’t come forward with all the details. It’s really simple,” she said to me. “I held back this story because I was afraid of a powerful man.”

To be clear, I don’t think the author is prescribing that position so much as describing it, but it’s hard to tell. The piece is titled “The agonizing story of Tara Reade” and the overall sense does seem to hover around the idea that maybe this is all more trouble than it’s worth. Not definitely, but maybe.

I’ll update this story as new clips of the interview are released. Megyn Kelly didn’t offer any sort of timeline so it’s not even clear if the rest of the interview is being released today.

Update: Here’s the next clip. In this one, Reade is asked about testifying under oath and says she’s willing to do that. When asked if she would take a polygraph she replied, “I’m not a criminal. Joe Biden should take the polygraph.” She does add, “I will take one if Joe Biden takes one.”

MK EXCLUSIVE: Will Tara Reade go under oath or take a polygraph? pic.twitter.com/aBXohhg14n

— Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) May 7, 2020

To be fair, Joe Biden isn’t a criminal either but it’s a clever response. She’s trying to shift the burden of proof onto Biden. Ultimately I don’t think Biden has to prove his innocence, but you can’t escape the fact that many, many people on the left seemed to feel very differently about this issue when the accused was Judge Kavanaugh.