Booker fires back at Biden: 'I found his attacks on me ridiculous'
The war of words between a pair of White House hopefuls intensified Friday after Sen. Cory BookerCory Anthony BookerRand Paul introduces bill to end no-knock warrants Black lawmakers unveil bill to remove Confederate statues from Capitol Harris grapples with defund the police movement amid veep talk MORE (D-N.J.) called former Vice President Joe BidenJoe BidenHillicon Valley: Biden calls on Facebook to change political speech rules | Dems demand hearings after Georgia election chaos | Microsoft stops selling facial recognition tech to police Trump finalizing executive order calling on police to use ‘force with compassion’ The Hill’s Campaign Report: Biden campaign goes on offensive against Facebook MORE’s attacks on him “ridiculous.”
“I will always speak truth to power, and watching the crime bills of the ’80s and the ’90s all of the things that he put into place, this is something that should be talked about,” Booker told NBC News on Friday.
“The response to having substantive conversations about people’s records shouldn’t be to go on the attack, and I found his attacks on me ridiculous,” he continued.
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The feud between Biden and Booker began earlier this week when Booker referred to Biden as an “architect of mass incarceration,” referencing his role in the passage of the 1994 crime bill in the Senate.
Biden’s deputy campaign manager hit back against the attack, referencing next week’s debates where the two men will be placed next to each other.
“Since next week’s debate format will give Senator Booker twice as much time to make his attacks than it allows Vice President Biden to respond to them, we thought we would begin to respond now,” Kate Bedingfield said.
Biden has also signaled he is ready to go on the attack against Booker and Sen. Kamala HarrisKamala Devi HarrisRand Paul introduces bill to end no-knock warrants The Hill’s Campaign Report: Biden campaign goes on offensive against Facebook McEnany says Juneteenth is a very ‘meaningful’ day to Trump MORE (D-Calif.), who hit Biden’s civil rights record in the last debate.
“If [Harris and Booker] want to argue about the past, I can do that. I got a past I’m proud of,” Biden said Wednesday. “They got a past that’s not quite so good.”