“We are literally using Donald Trump’s lies and the second issue we cover on this stage is elevating a lie and attacking a statesman,” Booker said after CNN’s Anderson Cooper asked Biden about whether it had been improper for his son Hunter to hold a position on the board of a foreign company.
In the weeks leading up to the debate, several of Biden’s opponents -- including Kamala Harris, Booker and Beto O’Rourke -- had suggested that work like Hunter Biden’s should not be allowed for the children of a president or vice president to avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest. On Sunday, Hunter Biden announced that he would leave the board of a Chinese firm at the end of October and would forgo all foreign work if his father were elected president.
But none of Biden’s rivals took him to task on the issue at the debate. He argued there was nothing to the story, which he blamed Trump and “his thugs” for spreading.
“My son did nothing wrong; I did nothing wrong,” Biden said. “I carried out the policy of the United States government in rooting out corruption in Ukraine.”
Sanders Is ‘Feeling Great’ After Heart Attack
Sanders saw the question about his heart attack coming, and jumped in, cutting off moderator Erin Burnett.
“I’m healthy, I’m feeling great,” he said. But first, he said, he wanted to respond to a back-and-forth on medical marijuana.
Booker interrupted to note that Sanders was in favor of medical marijuana. “I’m not on it tonight,” Sanders joked.
The 78-year-old was then pressed on how he would would reassure Democratic voters concerned about his recent emergency heart surgery and his age. His answer: by campaigning. “We’re going to be mounting a vigorous campaign all over this country,” he said. “That’s how I think I can reassure the American people.”
He hinted that a “special guest” would attend an upcoming rally in Queens. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York will endorse him on Saturday.
Warren to Billionaires: It’s Not Personal
Warren doesn’t “have a beef” with billionaires. She just thinks they should pay a lot more taxes.