The alleged assault took place while Reade was working as a Senate staffer. She made the accusations last month on Twitter, and also confirms that she knows the statue of limitations has passed.

"Last year, Washington eliminated a 15-year old statute of limitations for prosecuting sexual abuse cases, but the law only applied to sexual abuse incidents that occurred after 2004," Business Insider writes.

"Reade said Biden shoved his hand under her skirt and penetrated her with his fingers while they stood in a senate corridor, an accusation he denied when she first made the claim last month," .

"I filed a police report for safety reasons only. All crim [sic] stats beyond limitations. Gratitude for all who have stood by me," Reade tweeted.

Speaking to Newsweek, Reade said she decided to come forward with the claims against Biden to ensure that "powerful men" are held accountable for their actions.

"I was trying to have a deeper conversation about sexual harassment in the workplace and powerful men," Reade said. "I" m="" not="" going="" to="" get="" traditional="" justice,="" like="" with="" [Harvey]="" Weinstein's="" case.="" I'm="" looking="" for="" something="" more="" existential-to="" not="" have="" to="" keep="" a="" secret="" because="" it's="" somebody="" powerful."
At the time of the initial tweet, the Biden campaign responded with this statement.

"Women have a right to tell their story, and reporters have an obligation to rigorously vet those claims," said Deputy Campaign Manager and Communications Director Kate Bedingfield. "We encourage them to do so, because these accusations are false."

Newsweek contacted Marianne Baker, who served as executive assistant to then-Senator Biden from 1982 to 2000, who also rejected the claims.

"In all my years working for Senator Biden, I never once witnessed, or heard of, or received, any reports of inappropriate conduct, period-not from Ms. Reade, not from anyone," she told Newsweek. "These clearly false allegations are in complete contradiction to both the inner workings of our Senate office and to the man I know and worked so closely with for almost two decades."

In the Business Insider story, Reade accused Biden supporters of harassing her after she first came forward.

"She writes of retaliation after her initial post. She began publicly sharing the harassment she experienced in April 2019 but was attacked online including by Richard Painter (Univ. of MN law professor who worked in the Obama administration) and journalist Edward-Isaac Dovere for being a Russian operative. There is more to the story of harassment that she did not feel safe sharing at the time," writes Business Insider.

Reade denies her actions are politically motivated. Filing the police report, she said, was a step she had to take, even if it doesn't lead to criminal proceedings.

"It's very imperative that I think, for me, for my voice to be heard. I've been silenced and threatened before, in the past, and I feel free now," she said. "And after I hung up with that detective, I felt a lift, like okay, my voice was hear and law enforcement has this. And I feel safer."

You can watch an interview with Reade that was posted on the morning streaming news show "Rising with the Hill's Krystal Ball and Saagar Enjeti" from the political site The Hill: