President Trump accused former Vice President Joseph R. Biden on Monday of ushering in a “dark period in American history” with the 1994 crime bill that rival Democrats blame for mass incarcerations.
“Super Predator was the term associated with the 1994 Crime Bill that Sleepy Joe Biden was so heavily involved in passing,” the president tweeted. “That was a dark period in American History, but has Sleepy Joe apologized? No!”
Mr. Trump predicted that “anyone associated with the 1994 Crime Bill will not have a chance of being elected” president in 2020.
“In particular, African Americans will not be [a]ble to vote for you,” Mr. Trump said. “I, on the other hand, was responsible for Criminal Justice Reform, which had tremendous support, and helped fix the bad 1994 Bill!”
Mr. Biden was chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee when Congress and President Bill Clinton approved the crime bill, which created the “three strikes” mandating life imprisonment for certain violent felons.
Fellow Democratic presidential contenders Sen. Kamala D. Harris of California and New York Mayor Bill De Blasio also have targeted Mr. Biden for his involvement with the legislation. Mr. De Blasio called it a “huge mistake” Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
Mr. Biden has defended his efforts to pass the bill.
“This idea that the crime bill generated mass incarceration — it did not generate mass incarceration,” Mr. Biden told New Hampshire voters earlier this month.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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