2020 Democratic candidate Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) said on Sunday that he doesn’t understand how 2020 rival Joe Biden can argue that his comments about segregationists was taken out of context.
During an interview with Al Sharpton on Saturday, Biden said the media “didn’t print the whole deal” on his nostalgic remarks about working with segregationist lawmakers, and that “the context of this was totally different.”
“I didn’t understand that,” Booker told “This Week” host Martha Raddatz. “I listened to the full totality of what he was talking about, and frankly, I heard from many, many African-Americans who found the comments hurtful.”
However, Booker added that his call with Biden on Wednesday was “very constructive” and that he has a “tremendous amount of respect” for the former vice president.
“That’s why again, I felt it really important, especially with our friends, not to just sweep things under the rug, but to be candid and straightforward with each other,” the New Jersey Democrat told Raddatz.
But during the call, Biden reportedly didn’t apologize to Booker for the comments or for asking that Booker himself apologize for calling him out.
Watch Booker below:
Booker: I don't "understand" why Biden thinks his comments on segregationists were taken out of context pic.twitter.com/7S8FPX6EdI
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) June 23, 2019
