International- The Monterey County District Attorney's Office announced that it will investigate if
Tara Reade misrepresented her educational credentials after she served as an expert witness in court cases for a decade, Politico reported. - Several
California defense lawyers said they would be reviewing cases where Reade, then known as Alexandra McCabe, testified as an expert witness amid the concern that she "misrepresented her educational credentials in court." - Reade claimed she had earned her bachelor's degree from Antioch University in Seattle under a "protected program."
- But university officials said Reade only attended for three academic quarters and did not graduate and denied that she had a special arrangement to earn her degree.
- Reade later attended Seattle University Law School, where officials confirmed she earned her law degree. However, she would not have been able to earn her law degree without a valid undergraduate degree, per the school's admission standards.
The Monterey County District Attorney's Office announced that it is investigating if
The DA investigation comes after several defense lawyers became concerned that Reade, then known as Alexandra McCabe, "misrepresented her educational credentials in court," The New York Times reported.
Reade served as an expert witness in domestic violence cases in Monterey County, California, for a decade, describing herself "as an expert in the dynamics of domestic violence who had counseled hundreds of victims," The Times reported.
"We are investigating whether Ms. McCabe gave false testimony under oath," Berkley Brannon, chief assistant district attorney, told POLITICO. Brannon added that it is not immediately clear how many court cases Reade testified as an expert.
"We have no database or search engine to use to determine in how many cases she testified," Brannon told Politico. "However, that effort is ongoing."
Reade claimed she had earned her bachelor's degree from Antioch University in Seattle under a "protected program." But university officials told Politico that Reade only attended for three academic quarters and did not graduate, and denied that she had a special arrangement to earn her degree.
"Alexandra McCabe attended but did not graduate from Antioch University," Karen Hamilton, an Antioch University spokesperson told CNN. "She was never a faculty member. She did provide several hours of administrative work."
Reade went on to Seattle University Law School, where officials confirmed she earned her law degree. However, she would not have been able to earn her law degree without a valid undergraduate degree, per the school's admission standards. Officials refused to confirm the validity of her degree under the circumstances, Politico reported.
Patrick McKenna, executive director of publicly funded law firm Sixth District Appellate Program, told Politico that his office is conducting its own review of cases where Reade served as an expert witness to determine if defense lawyers will challenge past cases and convictions.
"The significance for me is she was qualified as an expert based partially on her educational background as well as her career," McKenna told Politico.
"If those things were not true, then she may not have qualified as an expert or had the defense attorneys known about these things, they could have asked her about these things in court," McKenna added. "It would go directly toward her credibility."
Reade has made several media appearances after she filed a criminal complaint against former Vice President Joe Biden for sexual assault. She had previously worked as an aide in the office of Biden when he was a Senator in the 1990s, and she accused Biden of sexually assaulting her in a hallway in 1993.
The 2020 presumptive Democratic nominee has vehemently denied the allegations, but encouraged people to vote with their "heart."
"If they believe Tara Reade, they probably shouldn't vote for me," Biden told MSNBC. "I wouldn't vote for me if I believed Tara Reade. There is no truth to it. I promise you."
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