New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio Bill de BlasioNew York to honor Ginsburg with statue in Brooklyn The Hill's Morning Report - Sponsored by The Air Line Pilots Association - White House moves closer to Pelosi on virus relief bill New York again pushes back in-person classes MORE (D) ripped his predecessor Mike Bloomberg over the controversial stop-and-frisk policy he oversaw, claiming he only apologized for it because of his presidential bid.

De Blasio, whose own presidential bid flamed out last year, has endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders Bernie SandersNYT editorial board remembers Ginsburg: She 'will forever have two legacies' Two GOP governors urge Republicans to hold off on Supreme Court nominee Sanders knocks McConnell: He's going against Ginsburg's 'dying wishes' MORE (I-Vt.), who is now seen as the front-runner for the Democratic nomination, and who battled Bloomberg at Tuesday night's debate.

“As the guy who actually ended the Stop + Frisk policy + settled the lawsuit + sent Bloomberg’s police commissioner packing, let me answer that question: YES, stop and frisk was racist!” tweeted de Blasio following the debate.

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“And @MikeBloomberg stood by it til last year. If he weren’t running for Pres, no apology,” de Blasio added.

As the guy who actually ended the Stop + Frisk policy + settled the lawsuit + sent Bloomberg’s police commissioner packing, let me answer that question: YES, stop and frisk was racist! And @MikeBloomberg stood by it til last year. If he weren’t running for Pres, no apology — Bill de Blasio (@BilldeBlasio) February 26, 2020

A court found the policy was racially discriminatory in 2013. The city appealed the ruling but dropped the appeal after de Blasio replaced Bloomberg the following January.

Bloomberg has frequently come under fire over the policy since entering the presidential race, particularly after audio surfaced of a 2015 speech in which he defended the practice targeting young minorities, telling the audience “Ninety-five percent of your murders — murderers and murder victims — fit one M.O. You can just take the description, Xerox it and pass it out to all the cops. They are male, minorities, 16 to 25.”

Bloomberg hasn't started competing for delegates yet but has spending hundreds of millions of dollars on advertising blanketing states holding March 3 contests — this cycle's Super Tuesday.