Douglas Wigdor, the high-powered Manhattan attorney known for representing survivors of sexual assault, has ended his representation of Tara Reade, a former U.S. Senate staffer who has accused former Vice President Joe Biden of assaulting her in 1993.

Biden has forcefully denied the allegation.

Wigdor said in a statement Friday that he and his firm made the decision to drop Reade as a client Wednesday, less than two weeks after he vowed to represent her "zealously, just as we would any other victim of sexual violence."

Wigdor said the decision did not reflect any change in his view of the truthfulness of Reade's claims. Instead, he cited a "double standard" in the media coverage his former client had received, as well as other attempts to "victim-shame" Reade and attack her credibility.

"We genuinely wish Ms. Reade well and hope that she, as a survivor, is treated fairly," the statement said. "We have and will continue to represent survivors regardless of their alleged predator's status or politics."

The statement, despite its allegations of unfair media coverage, did not explicitly state why Wigdor had severed ties with Reade.

Wigdor said he and his firm would not be commenting further on the matter.

Reade could not immediately be reached for comment Friday afternoon. 

The New York Times first reported the decision Thursday night.

The announcement followed recent news reports that cast doubt on representations Reade had made about her time at Antioch University in Seattle, which were later refuted by a university spokeswoman. Other aspects of Reade's background have also come under scrutiny in the press and elsewhere in the wake of her allegations against Biden.

Biden, the former vice president and presumptive Democratic nominee in 2020, has strongly denied Reade's allegations of sexual assault, saying that "it never happened."

Wigdor, who currently represents victims of convicted rapist and former movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, announced May 7 that he had taken Reade on as a client, as she prepared to sit down for an on-camera interview discussing allegations that Biden had digitally penetrated her while she was working in his Senate office.

At the time, Wigdor said he stood by his client's account, which he noted had been confirmed by numerous people she had told decades ago. 

"We will help Ms. Reade be heard," he said.

In a statement provided to media outlets, Wigdor said that Reade's allegations would make "our firm and Mr. Wigdor specifically" the target of partisan attacks, but denied that his representation was motivated by politics.

"We have decided to take this matter on because every survivor has the right to competent counsel, and that is exactly what we will provide," he said earlier this month.

On Wednesday, Wigdor acknowledged the recent coverage of Reade's past, but emphasized that he still believed her allegations.

"Much of what has been written about Ms. Reade is not probative of whether then-Senator Biden sexually assaulted her, but rather is intended to victim-shame and attack her credibility on unrelated and irrelevant matters," he said.

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