Booker – Biden feud heats up as Booker accuses Biden of being ‘Architect of Mass Incarceration’

Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) called former Vice President Joe Biden the “architect of mass incarceration” as their political feud deepens on the campaign trail.

Booker and Biden are two of the 24 Democrats running for the chance to take on President Donald Trump in the 2020 general election. While many of the candidates have been taking aim at Biden as he leads the pack in many polls, Booker has been persistent in his criticisms of the former vice president.

The two candidates got into a heated exchange in early June after Biden touted his record of work with several segregationist senators early in his career. While Biden intended the story to be about his ability to get things done no matter who he had to work with, some of his competitors found it to be racially insensitive.

Booker railed on Biden for his comments, demanding an apology. In turn, Biden fired back at Booker, demanding an apology for misconstruing his remarks to make them look racist.

Since then, the two have been extra critical of each other.

Booker reiterated this divide before a crowd at the 110th annual NAACP convention. During his speech, the senator referred to Biden as the “architect of mass incarceration” due to his support for the 1994 crime bill which many believe contributed to the high levels of imprisonment in the United States — which disproportionately impacts people of color.

Cory Booker on Joe Biden: "Now he's unrolled this, unveiled his crime bill — for a guy who helped to be an architect of mass incarceration, this in an inadequate solution to what is a raging crisis in our country." pic.twitter.com/EfLIH4u9QD

— The Hill (@thehill) July 24, 2019

Biden didn’t take the jab sitting down. He claimed that Booker “knows that isn’t true,” and said that the senator is just as guilty for allowing “stop and frisk” policies when serving as mayor of Newark, New Jersey.

NEW @JoeBiden responds to @CoryBooker calling him the "architect of mass incarceration" and says "Cory knows that's not true." Biden then swipes at Newark PD's stop & frisk policy. @CHueyBurns @CBSNews pic.twitter.com/oAhoB58QsS

— Bo Erickson (@BoKnowsNews) July 24, 2019

The feud between the two likely won’t die down anytime soon. They will be side by side on the CNN debate stage next week, alongside Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) who has also targeted Biden for his record on racial issues.