Booker ‘couldn’t believe’ Biden answer on busing

U.S. Sen. Cory Booker on Friday slapped Vice President Joe Biden for his response to a debate question on his past opposition to desegregated school bussing.

“I literally leaned back in my couch and couldn’t believe that one moment to me, and again not understanding the history of the need for the federal government,” Booker said on CNN’s New Day Friday morning. “Presidents of the past, like Kennedy, like LBJ, having the courage to stop states from sanctioning the kind of bigotry and bias that was so hurting African Americans.”

U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris asked Biden, who has faced fire over the last week for statements praising the civility of past Congresses by citing segregationist senators like James Eastland, why he opposed busing for integrated schools in the 1970s.

“I did not oppose busing in America. What I opposed is busing ordered by the Department of Education, that’s what I opposed,” Biden said at Thursday night’s debate.

Biden is currently the frontrunner in the Democratic primary. Some candidates, Booker included, have taken aim at the former vice president in an effort to close the gap between him and the rest of the pack.

Currently, Biden’s Real Clear Politics polling average leads that of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, who is in second place, by 15 points.

“[Black] Americans in this country and many other groups have had to turn to the federal government to intervene because there were states that were violating those rights,” Booker said. “There were states and state policies that were driving these deep divisions in our country, so that struck me.”