Washington
Secretary of the Senate Julie Adams has turned down presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s request to search for records of any complaint filed by his former staffer Tara Reade, citing legal advice that she has “no discretion” to release such materials, because they are confidential under current law. After receiving Biden’s formal request that she initiate such a search, Adams — a former staffer to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell — consulted with Senate legal counsel, according to an email Monday morning from Sydney Butler, the secretary’s deputy chief of staff. That review concluded that based on “the strict confidentiality requirements” of three federal laws, including the Civil Rights Act of 1991, and long-standing Senate policy.
