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Klobuchar: Biden Will Need to Explain His Actions That 'Weren't As Progressive'

March 17, 2019

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D., Minn.) said Sunday that if former Vice President Joe Biden runs for the 2020 Democratic nomination, he'll need to explain his less progressive decisions.

Over the weekend, Biden spoke at an event with members of the Delaware Democratic Party where he claimed he had the most progressive record of anyone running for president.

State of the Union host Jake Tapper asked the 2020 candidate if she agreed with Biden's claim to a "progressive record."

"So putting the slip-up aside about 'would run' versus 'running'—and he's obviously going to run—is that true? Does Vice President Biden have the most progressive record of anyone running?" the CNN host asked.

"He has been running things for a long time as a senator and then as vice president. I'm sure he'll be able to point to some major accomplishments that are progressive," Klobuchar said. "And then he'll have to explain things that weren't as progressive."

Progressive activists have charged that Biden isn't a true progressive because of his record on the 1994 crime bill and his treatment of Anita Hill during the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Biden has publicly apologized for his stance in both cases.

"I’m sorry I couldn’t have stopped the kind of attacks that came to you," Biden told NBC’s Today about his treatment of Hill. "But I never attacked her, I supported her. I believed her from the beginning."

In January of this year, he addressed his vote on the 1994 crime bill.

"I haven't always been right. I know we haven't always gotten things right, but I've always tried," Biden said.