Joe Biden appeared on Morning Joe to address the Tara Reade allegations. Via the Washington Post:

Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden on Friday denied that he sexually assaulted a former Senate aide, addressing the allegation publicly for the first time under increasing pressure from his party to speak about it.

“I want to address allegations by a former staffer that I engaged in misconduct 27 years ago,” Biden said in a statement released by his campaign. “They aren’t true. This never happened.”

Biden echoed his denial on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” shortly after the statement was released. “No it is not true,” he said. “It never, never happened.”

Biden also called on the National Archives to release any record of a complaint Reade says she filed. “If there was ever any such complaint, the record will be there,” he said.

In his MSNBC interview, Biden, who appeared from his makeshift home television studio in Deleware, faced a series of questions from host Mika Brzezinski. He began by providing brief and direct responses to her questions.

The former vice president said he had not reached out to Reade. “When she first made the claim, we made it clear it never happened,” he said.

He also said that he had not seen any complaint filed from her nor was he aware of anyone who had. “I’ve never seen it,” he said.

Biden declined to comment on Reade’s motivations for her claims.

“I’m not going to question her motive,” Biden said of Reade, adding, “I don’t understand it.”

Biden also released this statement this morning.

The reaction begins: