Sanders Hits Back at Clinton's Claims That He Took Wall Street Money

[AtomicKitten]

video link: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/sanders-hits-back-clintons-claims-wall-street-money/story?id=36799402

Bernie Sanders’ campaign took on Hillary Clinton's newest line of attack just one day before the New Hampshire primary -- calling the claim that the senator received campaign donations from Wall Street several years ago “absurd” and “false.”

“It is very disturbing that, as the Clinton campaign struggles through Iowa and New Hampshire, they have become increasingly negative and dishonest,” Sanders’ campaign manager Jeff Weaver said in a statement.

“Today’s attack from Secretary Clinton, super PAC received $15 million from Wall Street, is even more absurd. Bernie Sanders, who has never accepted corporate PAC money in his life.”

Earlier this week CNN reported that Sanders attended fundraisers on behalf of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) along with other senators, which were attended by lobbyists from the financial industry.

Clinton today accused Sanders of taking money from Wall Street, through that committee. However, when asked to provide documentation to back up the former Secretary of State’s claims, the campaign said Wall Street firms such as Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs gave to the DSCC and that the DSCC had in turn given to Sanders 2006 Senatorial race as well as the Vermont Democratic Party.

The DSCC’s primary function is to provide grassroots organization and fundraising support for Democratic senators up election.

“Senator Sanders took about $200,000 from Wall Street firms, not directly but through the democratic senate campaign committee. You know, there is nothing wrong with that. It hasn’t changed his view, well it didn’t change my view or my vote either,” Clinton said while campaigning in New Hampshire on the eve of the primary in the state.

The Sanders campaign was quick to fire back, arguing that the committee solicits donations from many entities and that Sanders, unlike Clinton, does not have a super PAC for his presidential campaign.

“Bernie appreciates the help he has gotten from the DSCC, whose funds come from millions of Americans’ individual contributions, labor organizations, environmental groups, women’s organizations and others. To say that every nickel that Bernie received came from Wall Street is beyond preposterous,” Weaver said.

[thereismore]

1. So now they hate Sanders for raising money for the Democratic party. Absolute assholes. nt

[beam me up scottie]

2. Good, enough of the Clinton campaign smears.

They're taking a page out of Rove's playbook by trying to attack him on his strengths.

[Vattel]

3. And then she wonders why most people think that she is dishonest.

[mhatrw]

4. She forgot that not only plutocrats contribute to Democrats.

imagine that!

[moriah]

5. This whole "puritan or prostitute" dichotomy must stop re: Dem politics in Washington.

All you have to do is take a look at a few pages on OpenSecrets to tell you everything you need to know.

Priorities USA Action may currently endorse Hillary, but wasn't founded for her -- it was founded for Obama's re-election bid and spent $65 million against Mitt Romney in 2012.

They have raised quite a bit of money, but as you can see from 2016 expenditures it is running anti-Republican ads that then say the organization is supporting Hillary, with not a negative word seen against Bernie. And while yes, nearly $14 million came from Wall Street to that PAC, $7 million of it was from George Soros, they've spent only about $450k of their very large capital stash, that will be there for Bernie to attack the eventual Republican nominee if he wins.

Outside Money spent for and against Hillary: $1,134,729 for, over four million against.

Outside Money spent for and against Bernie: $1,127,417 for (over a million from the nurses SuperPAC), $786,224 against. $10k of that was an O'Malley PAC running negative advertising, $22 bucks labeled as against Bernie when they spent $30k for him, and the rest some Conservative PAC running heavy anti-Bernie and positive for a NH Republican Senate candidate.

Now.... this is the list that shows the difference between both our candidates and the GOP:

https://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/superpacs.php?cycle=2016

Of that SuperPAC money already spent, only $2.25 has been spent supporting Democratic candidates. The other $175 million of SuperPAC money spent so far has been by the GOP.

So Bernie is gladly accepting the endorsement and allowing encouraging the outside spending from the Nurses SuperPAC. So he wined and dined wealthy DSCC donors (which was at least working for the Party). So Hillary has been endorsed by a PAC that isn't attacking Bernie, will endorse Bernie if he wins, and will continue to try to keep the GOP out.

So friggin' what???

No politician is perfectly pure, but if anyone is selling themselves, it's the GOP, not Democrats.