Democrat Joe Biden, in a leaked recording, said the GOP "beat the living hell" out of Democrats by using the "defund the police" movement. 

According to USA Today, Biden's leaked recording appeared to come from a meeting with civil rights leaders on Tuesday.

It also appeared that Biden was blaming the "defund the police" movement for contributing to Democratic down-ballot losses in last month's election, said NBC News.

"That's how they beat the living hell out of us across the country, saying that we're talking about defunding the police. We're not," Biden said in a recording obtained by The Intercept.

"We're talking about holding them accountable," he added.

(Photo : Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images) People walk down 16th street after “Defund The Police” was painted on the street near the White House on June 08, 2020 in Washington, DC.

The former vice president cautioned the use of rhetoric on policing as it could hurt the Democrats running in the Georgia Senate.

He also advised civil rights leaders to proceed more carefully regarding criminal justice issues, saying Democrats had been "labeled" as "defund the police." 

Biden Promises Change in Policing

In the recording, Biden also assured that there would be "organizational structure to change policing," reported The Blaze.

As heard in the recording, civil rights leaders wanted Biden to use his executive authority once he becomes president to take significant steps against police misconduct. This is despite Democrats saying Biden will be prioritizing criminal justice reform once he takes office.

Biden said there are some things he could do by having an executive order, but he clarified that he was not going to violate the Constitution.

"I'm not going to exercise executive authority where it's a question where I can come along and say I can do away with assault weapons," he said in the audio. 

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He noted that no one had fought harder than him to eradicate the use of assault weapons but added that it couldn't be done through an executive order.

In Biden's vision of police reform, he viewed police that receives money to "do the right things" like spending money to use "less force and more understanding."

Biden also pledged to follow through with his promise to address systemic racism in the U.S. He proposed $300 million to reinvigorate the community policing program.

The funds will be used to hire and train officers on the condition that police departments mirror the racial diversity of their communities, reported USA Today.

While Biden thinks this is a viable plan, some activist groups believe that giving funding to the police instead of social programs would only be a problem. 

Biden Defends 'Defund the Police' Comments

In a statement released through Fox News, the Biden transition team defended him for his leaked recording comments.

The statement said Biden was the same in private as he is in public: "honest, direct and realistic about the challenges facing our nation." 

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It also reiterated that throughout Biden's campaign, he believed there should be reform in the criminal justice system but added that the former vice president also supports the law enforcement's "mission to keep our communities safe."

According to The Blaze, leaders of the "Black Lives Matter" organization were not invited to the private meeting and were disappointed with it. Biden's team did not dispute the authenticity of the recording.