Newly Minted CNN Contributor Andrew Yang Claims Bloomberg Is Actively Asking Major Dem Donors to Sit Out Primary

Former Democratic primary competitor Andrew Yang, now a CNN contributor, told a post-debate panel that self-funding billionaire candidate Mike Bloomberg is calling major party donors and asking them sit out the 2020 primary, in order to starve his rivals of much-needed campaign cash.

Yang made his startling claim in the aftermath of the Nevada debate, attributing the claim to one of his own previous donors who he said heard Bloomberg’s plea first-hand.

“People don’t have any money. You’re shaking your head. You know the story,” CNN’s Gloria Borger pointed out, addressing Yang. “And who has the money to compete other than Bernie Sanders right now and Michael Bloomberg?”

“That’s the great question: Is, could Elizabeth [Warren] or Joe [Biden] or Amy [Klobuchar] or Pete [Buttigieg] have a break-out night that leads to tens of millions of dollars of donations,” Yang noted. He then dropped a bombshell, explaining that major Democratic donors are, “frankly, getting phone calls from Mike Bloomberg right now saying ‘Sit this one out, I got this.'”

“If you’re a donor, not donating is a pretty appealing pitch,” Yang added, laughing.

“Sorry, but could you say that again?” CNN reporter Dana Bash pressed. “Mike Bloomberg is calling donors saying ‘Don’t give to my opponents?'”

“Mike Bloomberg is calling donors, saying: ‘Hey, just sit this out, I got this, I’ll bankroll the whole thing. Just don’t donate to anybody.”

“You heard this or know this?” Chris Cuomo said, jumping in.

“I heard it from a major donor,” Yang replied.

“Your donor?” Bash asked.

“Yes,” Yang confirmed. “A donor said that. And it’s a person who donates to a number of candidates, ordinarily, says these are the phone calls that Mike’s been making.”

“That’s one of the rule changes in the game now,” Cuomo added. “When you say something, when don’t just say ‘Are you sure?’ We say ‘Where’d you hear it?'”

Watch the video above, via CNN.