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July 8, 2019

Joe Biden Apologizes for Praising Segregationists, Defends Record
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While on a campaign stop in South Carolina, former vice president and
2020 presidential candidate Joe Biden apologized Saturday for his
comments last month about segregationist senators in the 1970s and '80s,
praising them for their "civility."

Joe Biden: "Folks, now, was I wrong a few weeks ago to somehow give the
impression to people that I was praising those men who I successfully
opposed, time and again? Yes, I was. I regret it. And I'm sorry for any
of the pain or misconception they may have caused anybody."

Biden went on to say that his 50-year record on issues of race should
speak for itself, and suggested he was being unfairly smeared. A number
of other 2020 Democrats took Biden to task over his track record on
civil rights, most notably California Senator Kamala Harris, who
challenged him over his opposition to desegregation busing. During his
South Carolina address, Biden also tried to distance himself from parts
of the 1994 anti-crime law that directed billions of dollars toward
building state prisons, even though he strongly supported such efforts.