Joe Biden Says Unpopular Crime Bill Wasn’t His Fault, ‘I Got Stuck’ Writing It Because I Was Judiciary Chair

Speaking at the Silfen Forum in Philadelphia yesterday on the opioid epidemic, Joe Biden stated he “got stuck” writing the crime bill because of his role as chairman of the Judiciary Committee. However, Biden has long touted his role in authoring the bill in the past:

Biden: ‘I Got Stuck’ Writing 1994 Crime Bill Because I Was Judiciary Chair

Washington Free Beacon

Former Vice President Joe Biden said he “got stuck” writing the 1994 Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act because he was chair of Judiciary Committee at the time.

“I got stuck with it because I was the chairman of the judiciary committee, writing most of the drug legislation that occurred in that period,” he said during a panel interview on Friday. “The big mistake was that I was buying into the idea that crack-cocaine was different than powdered cocaine and having penalties should be eliminated.”

The bill, which served as former President Bill Clinton’s flagship drug reform, has come under fire from Black Lives Matter activists, who claim that it stoked racial tensions more than it solved crime problems. Biden’s apology for the bill stands in contrast to comments from April 2016, when he defended it.

At the time, Biden said he was “not at all” ashamed of the bill, in an interview with CNBC .

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