In one of the tensest moments of the second Democratic debate, Joe Biden responded to insinuations from Kamala Harris about his choppy history on race.
Harris, 54, went on the offense, saying that the former vice president’s recent anecdote about working with segregationist lawmakers while in the Senate was “personal” and “hurtful.” She also accused Biden of not supporting busing black children in the era of desegregation.
Biden, 76, fired back, noting that before he was elected to office in 1972, he worked to get people who were incarcerated out of prison, subtly drawing a comparison to Harris, who served as the district attorney for San Francisco from 2004 to 2011.
“It’s a mischaracterization of my position across the board. I do not praise racists. That is not true.” Biden said. “If we want to have this campaign litigated on who supports civil rights, whether I did or not, I’m happy to do that.”
“I was a public defender. I didn’t become a prosecutor. I left a good firm to become a public defender. When in fact my city was in flames because of the assassination of Dr. King,” Biden fired back.
Related coverage:
- Joe Biden embraced segregation in 1975, claiming it was a matter of ‘black pride’
- Study: Black voters abandon Biden when told he opposed school integration
