MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Tara Reade, an American woman who claimed United States’ ex-President Joe Biden sexually assaulted her in the 1990s, was granted Russian citizenship on Monday, according to a decree signed by President Vladimir Putin.

A document published on the official legal information website stated that “McCabe Alexandra Tara, born February 26, 1964”, is now a Russian citizen.

According to the US media, Reade changed her name to Alexandra McCabe in 1998 to protect herself from her former husband, whom she accused of domestic violence.

In early 2020, Reade claimed that Biden, who was standing for election, sexually assaulted her in a corridor in the US Congress in 1993, when he was a senator and she was working for him.

The accusation, categorically denied by the Democratic politician, was still a challenge for his campaign against Donald Trump, then in his first term as US president.

Trump himself has faced accusations of sexual assault, harassment and rape from several women. He returned to power in 2025.

Inconsistencies in Reade’s account included no record being found of the complaint that she claimed to have filed with Congress after the alleged assault.

In May 2023, she announced in an interview with the Sputnik state media that she intended to ask for a Russian passport.

Speaking from Moscow, Reade said she had decided to stay in Russia because she feared for her safety in her home country.

In July 2024, she announced on social media platform X that she was returning to the United States to file a complaint against Biden for sexual assault, several days before the ailing president pulled out of his race for re-election.