Former Vice President Joe Biden gave Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) a quick phone call after his primary opponent called him out on national television, Politico reported.
It was an olive branch attempt to smooth things over after Booker criticized the former vice president for speaking about his success working with documented segregationist senators and joking about a black man calling him “boy.” It didn’t work.
The two had a polite conversation, sources familiar with the call told Politico, but Biden didn’t apologize for his initial remarks or for telling reporters on Wednesday that Booker should be the one apologizing.
Biden’s campaign reportedly sent out a memo to surrogates about Biden’s record on civil rights and suggested that some of Biden’s primary opponents had worked with characters deemed offensive by Democrats, like former Attorney General Jeff Sessions. That note only made things worse, according to Politico.
Read the full report here.
