Politico.com By Natasha Koreckl Sun., May 24, 2020
Under the name Alexandra McCabe, Tara Reade (pic above) has for years testified for the prosecution as an expert in domestic violence cases.
But a number of California defense attorneys are considering challenging the convictions of their clients amid questions about whether Reade misrepresented her credentials under oath.
Reade, the former Joe Biden staffer who recently accused him of sexually assaulting her in 1993, stated she had an undergraduate degree that her college says she never earned and appears to have exaggerated her role in then-Delaware Sen. Biden’s office, according to trial transcripts in two court cases reviewed by POLITICO.
Six cases involving Reade’s testimony are already under review by the 6th District Appellate Program, Executive Director Patrick McKenna told POLITICO Thursday. The state-funded office oversees appointed defense counsel in appellate cases covering four California counties, including Monterey County, where the prosecution often tapped Reade as an expert witness.
The review will determine whether the attorneys can petition a judge to review their clients’ conviction, and potentially order a new trial.
“I have at least six cases where she testified and I have lists pending from various attorney groups where she testified as a violence expert. I expect that list will expand significantly,” McKenna said. “We’re trying to get the lists together. We’re aware of Ms. Reade, we’re in the mode of trying to review the transcripts to see if she misrepresented herself in court.”
He said the calls for a review came as news reports raised questions about her background and detailed her credentials, including the fact that she did not complete an undergraduate degree.
Full article here: https://www.politico.com/news/2020/05/21/tara-reade-biden-expert-testimony-274460
