Democrat Sen. Cory Booker's accusations that members of his party are "willing to be complicit" with President Donald Trump show how "leaderless" the party is, Sen. Kevin Cramer said Wednesday.
"You have pragmatic Democrats that want to get things done, particularly policing bills that come out of committee unanimously, strong bipartisan support," the North Dakota Republican said in an interview on Fox Business, reports The Hill.
But then there is the "other side," who "strictly sees that as a victory for Donald Trump if he gets to sign the bill, as opposed to a collective victory for the American people," said Cramer.
Booker, of New Jersey, on Tuesday lashed out against fellow Democrat Sens. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Catherine Cortez Masto of New Mexico during a move to pass bipartisan policing bills, and said that it is "time for Democrats to have a backbone."
He further argued that the party should use its leverage on bipartisan bills such as police program and pressure the White House to release funding for blue states like New Jersey, New York, and California.
"When are we going to stand up as a body and defend our work, defend our jurisdiction, defend this coequal branch of government?" Booker said.
His comments began when Cortez Masto tried to pass seven bills through unanimous consent, and she said she was surprised by his arguments, reports The Wall Street Journal.
She said she does agree that funds should not be withheld from blue states, but she insisted that Booker's proposed amendment had nothing to do with her bills.
"You've got to question what is going on here," she said. "This is not the way to go about it."
Cramer was not present when the argument occurred, but said that the "chaos" with the Democrats is a "Republican's opportunity," but that it "doesn't do anything for the country."
"So right now they seem to be a little bit leaderless, and consequently the kids are fighting," he said.
Cramer added that it is hard to trust any Democrat who wants to become president, as "they have to play to this very fringy left-edge of theirs."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.