Tara Reade, a former staffer for then-Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE) who accused Biden during the 2020 presidential campaign of sexually assaulting her, has defected to Russia.

Reade made the announcement during a Russian state press conference while she sat next to Russian spy Maria Butina, who was previously convicted and sentenced to prison in the U.S. for conspiring to act as an agent of Russia inside the U.S.

“I’m still kind of in a daze a bit, but I feel very good,” Reade told Sputnik News. “I feel very surrounded by protection and safety. And I just really so appreciate Maria [Butina] and everyone who’s been giving me that at a time when it’s been very difficult to know if I’m safe or not.”

“I’m not going to be intimidated, bullied or silenced. I’m going to speak out and I’m willing to speak under oath about the corruption I witnessed, about the crime I experienced,” she claimed. “And it is remarkable that Joe Biden raped me when I worked for him at U.S. Congress and I’m supposed to be the fugitive. That is ridiculous and it’s unacceptable.”

Reade said that she was requesting that Russian President Vladimir Putin make her a citizen of the Russian Federation.

“I am going to make a request and it’s a large one: I’d like to apply for citizenship in Russia from the president of the Russian federation, Vladimir Putin, and hopefully Maria can help me from the State Duma,” Reade said, adding: “I do promise to be a good citizen and move forward with my life in a positive way.”

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During the press conference, Reade repeatedly took shots at the United States and spouted pro-Kremlin talking points.