WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Vice President Joe Biden is shrugging off criticism that he skipped a weekend campaign event in Iowa attended by most of the 2020 Democratic presidential field, saying family obligations were more important.

Speaking at a fundraiser Monday in Washington, Biden said, “I got criticism from one of my competitors because I didn’t show up in Iowa to speak for five minutes with 19 people.”

He appeared to be referencing a dig by businessman Andrew Yang, who had knocked Biden for not appearing in Cedar Rapids. Read more at WTOP