Putin Grants Citizenship to Tara Reade

Russian President Vladimir Putin has granted citizenship to Tara Reade via a decree published on the government legal portal. Reade, a former Senate aide who in 2020 accused Joe Biden of sexually assaulting her in 1993, moved to Moscow in 2023 saying she feared for her safety and sought asylum; she has worked for state-controlled outlets such as RT and publicly thanked Putin. Biden has denied the allegations, no formal charges were filed, and multiple investigations and former colleagues have pointed to inconsistencies and a lack of corroboration. Russia has recently eased pathways to citizenship in certain cases, and the decree formalizes Reade’s new status while complicating any intentions she has expressed to pursue legal action in the U.S. The move has drawn international media attention and highlights the intersection of personal allegations, partisan politics, and Russian state media and policy.