The war of words between a pair of White House hopefuls intensified Friday after Sen. Cory Booker Cory Anthony Booker3 reasons why Biden is misreading the politics of court packing Bipartisan praise pours in after Ginsburg's death DHS opens probe into allegations at Georgia ICE facility MORE (D-N.J.) called former Vice President Joe Biden Joe BidenPelosi slams Trump executive order on pre-existing conditions: It 'isn't worth the paper it's signed on' Hillicon Valley: Subpoenas for Facebook, Google and Twitter on the cards | Wray rebuffs mail-in voting conspiracies | Reps. raise mass surveillance concerns Fox News poll: Biden ahead of Trump in Nevada, Pennsylvania and Ohio MORE's attacks on him "ridiculous."

"I will always speak truth to power, and watching the crime bills of the '80s and the '90s all of the things that he put into place, this is something that should be talked about," Booker told NBC News on Friday.

"The response to having substantive conversations about people's records shouldn't be to go on the attack, and I found his attacks on me ridiculous," he continued.

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The feud between Biden and Booker began earlier this week when Booker referred to Biden as an "architect of mass incarceration," referencing his role in the passage of the 1994 crime bill in the Senate.

Biden's deputy campaign manager hit back against the attack, referencing next week's debates where the two men will be placed next to each other.

“Since next week’s debate format will give Senator Booker twice as much time to make his attacks than it allows Vice President Biden to respond to them, we thought we would begin to respond now,” Kate Bedingfield said.

Biden has also signaled he is ready to go on the attack against Booker and Sen. Kamala Harris Kamala HarrisHundreds of lawyers from nation's oldest African American sorority join effort to fight voter suppression Biden picks up endorsement from progressive climate group 350 Action 3 reasons why Biden is misreading the politics of court packing MORE (D-Calif.), who hit Biden's civil rights record in the last debate.

“If [Harris and Booker] want to argue about the past, I can do that. I got a past I’m proud of,” Biden said Wednesday. “They got a past that’s not quite so good.”