A new adviser to presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has strongly criticized the former vice president’s record on criminal justice issues in the past.
Biden’s campaign tapped Addisu Demissie and Lindsay Holst earlier in the week to lead the Democratic Party’s convention preparation. Demissie previously managed Democratic New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker’s presidential campaign, as well as Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s successful gubernatorial campaign.
Both advisers previously worked on former President Barack Obama’s presidential campaigns, according to The New York Times. Demisse also worked on presidential campaigns for past Democratic nominees, including John Kerry and Hillary Clinton, and has been active in California politics throughout the past decade. Demissie also founded 50+1 Strategies, according to the company’s website. (RELATED: Symone Sanders Covers For Biden’s Comments About Black Voters, Claims He Spoke ‘In Jest’)
The veteran Democratic strategist’s past criticism of Biden centers around criminal justice reform for the most part, especially over Biden’s support for the 1994 crime bill. (RELATED: Joe Biden Says ‘Three Strikes’ Crime Law Did Not Imprison More People)
“That’s the problem,” Demissie tweeted in 2019 about Biden’s decades-long record on criminal justice reform.
“For decades, Joe Biden has been working on criminal justice reform.”
That’s the problem. And that’s the tweet. pic.twitter.com/tOFpRI4icG
— Addisu Demissie ???? (@ASDem) July 24, 2019
Demissie also bemoaned the fact that this year’s Democratic presidential primary came down to “two white men” in Biden and Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
“It’s completely explainable that we are down to two white men to become our nominee. Democratic primary voters’ top priority is beating Donald Trump and, mostly subconsciously, I believe the gruesome reality of Trump’s America has put a fear in our hearts,” Demissie tweeted in March.
Keeping it ????: it’s completely explainable that we are down to two white men to become our nominee. Democratic primary voters’ top priority is beating Donald Trump and, mostly subconsciously, I believe the gruesome reality of Trump’s America has put a fear in our hearts…
— Addisu Demissie ???? (@ASDem) March 5, 2020
Demissie has also criticized “white people opining on black people’s blackness,” which Biden was accused of doing recently when he implied that black supporters of President Donald Trump “ain’t black.”
White people opining on black people’s blackness is truly one of my favorite things (cc: @rupertmurdoch) https://t.co/5NsccjlOXs
— Addisu Demissie ???? (@ASDem) October 30, 2015
The Biden campaign did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller’s inquiry about Demissie’s past comments.