Cory Booker

Booker stated the attacks on Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's record at Bain Capital were "nauseating to me on both sides. It's nauseating to the American public. Enough is enough. Stop attacking private equity. Stop attacking Jeremiah Wright." Some objected to Booker's remarks because Romney has made those claims about job creation at Bain central to his campaign. Others criticized Booker saying his comments were motivated by his closeness to and dependence on Wall Street donors. The comments were subsequently utilized by the Romney campaign against Obama. Booker made followup comments clarifying that he now believed Obama's attacks on Romney's record at Bain were legitimate, but did not retract his point about attacking private equity in general. Two weeks later, Booker's communications director Anne Torres tendered her resignation, although she maintained it was unrelated to Meet the Press.

Booker sits on the board of advisers of the political action committee "Democrats for Education Reform". Booker is currently a member of the Board of Trustees at Teachers College, Columbia University, and was formerly a member of the Executive Committee at Yale Law School and the Board of Trustees at Stanford University.

In May 2009, Booker received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from the Newark-based New Jersey Institute of Technology for 'his outstanding career in public service as the Mayor of Newark'. In May 2009, Booker received an honorary doctorate from Brandeis University, and was a commencement speaker that year as well. Read Less