Fact Checker Says Joe Biden Cannot Rewrite History on Crime Bill, Must Take Responsibility for ‘Flaws’

Joe Biden played a central role in ushering through the 1994 crime bill when he was chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Since that time, the bill has come under scrutiny from the left for leading to higher incarceration rates. Biden, though, has long defended the legislation and said at a campaign event Tuesday, “this idea that the crime bill generated mass incarceration, it did not generate mass incarceration.”

The Washington Post fact checkers examined Biden’s claim and gave the former VP two Pinocchios for his misleading statement:

“Biden tries to deflect criticism that the 1994 crime bill contributed to an increase in incarceration by pinning the blame on the states for building more prisons and passing tougher laws. But the federal law set the tone — and the bill he crafted included incentives for states to overhaul their laws and build more prisons.”

“There are many factors that contributed to the United States having the world’s highest incarceration rates, but few dispute the crime bill was a contributor. Bill Clinton has acknowledged this. If Biden is going to lay claim to the “Biden Crime Bill,” he also needs to take ownership of some of its flaws apparent a quarter-century later.”