There have been several moments over the course of the last few weeks that could only be described as “surreal”, and this is one of them.
In the midst of an election year, as one of the biggest name in politics has been credibly accused of sexual assault, one of the mainstream media’s most prominent players is asking us all to ignore it.
Martin Tolchin, a founder of Politico and former New York Timescorrespondent in Washington, DC, published a letter to the editor of the Times Tuesday calling for a Joe Biden “coronation” regardless of claims of sexual assault.
The letter came in response to a recent Times editorial calling for the Democratic National Committee to investigate claims by Tara Reade, a former Senate staffer, who claims Biden assaulted her in 1993.
And you’re not going to believe what he said.
Tolchin wrote that he did not want Reade’s claims investigated — or anything else about Biden — because all he wanted was to see Trump defeated in November.
The letter, in full, follows (original emphasis):
I totally disagree with this editorial. I don’t want an investigation. I want a coronation of Joe Biden. Would he make a great president? Unlikely. Would he make a good president? Good enough. Would he make a better president than the present occupant? Absolutely. I don’t want justice, whatever that may be. I want a win, the removal of Donald Trump from office, and Mr. Biden is our best chance.
Suppose an investigation reveals damaging information concerning his relationship with Tara Reade or something else, and Mr. Biden loses the nomination to Senator Bernie Sanders or someone else with a minimal chance of defeating Mr. Trump. Should we really risk the possibility?
Martin Tolchin
Alexandria, Va.
The writer is a former member of The Times’s Washington bureau and a founder of Politico.
Given that a great many Democratic voters have also called for Biden to step down as the presumptive 2020 nominee, we don’t believe that Tolchin is going to get his wish.
