WATCH: Bernie Sanders Was PISSED When Elizabeth Warren Accused Him of ‘Sucking Up to Billionaires’ at Debate
Independent Vermont senator and Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders was visibly displeased when Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren included him in an attack on candidates who suck up to billionaires during Friday night’s debate.
At Friday night’s ABC News Democratic presidential debate in New Hampshire, moderator George Stephanopoulos asked the candidates why they felt they were better positioned to defeat Donald Trump than billionaire Mike Bloomberg.
“Look I don’t think anyone ought to be able to buy their way into an a nomination, or to be president of the United States,” Warren said, then added “I don’t think any billionaire ought to be able to do it, and I don’t think people who suck up to billionaires in order to fund their campaigns ought to do it.”
“I heard everyone here talking about as Democrats we all want to overturn Citizens United, because we want to end this unlimited spending,” Warren said, then dropped the hammer.
“Yeah, except everyone on this stage except [Minnesota Senator] Amy [Klobuchar] and me is either a billionaire, or is receiving help from PACS that can do unlimited spending,” Warren said, as Sanders vigorously shook his head “no.”
Senators Warren and Sanders have each tried to make fundraising purity and issue in the Democratic primary campaign, but when Warren included Sanders in her accusatory sweep, he was visibly perturbed. Warren is likely referring to Our Revolution, a non-profit group supporting Sanders’ 2020 campaign.
“So if you really want to live where you say, then put your money where your mouth is, and say no to the PACs,” Warren continued, adding “Look I think the way we build a democracy going forward is not billionaires reaching in their own pockets, or people sucking up to billionaires, the way we build it going forward is we have a grassroots movement funded from the grassroots up.”
“Going forward” is doing a lot of work for Warren, who as recently as last February described swearing off big-money fundraising as “unilateral disarmament.”
Stephanopoulos cut Sanders off when he tried to respond, promising to return to him after Senator Klobuchar, but once he got around to it, sidetracked Sanders by changing the question.
“Let’s talk about money, and let’s talk about,” Sanders began, pointing in Warren’s direction as Stephanopoulos began to ask a question.
“Mayor Bloomberg is, let me just put the question to you,” Stephanopoulos said.
“I’ve got an answer before the question, it’s more important,” Sanders protested, but Stephanopoulos continued, saying “because Mayor Bloomberg has taken on your argument, he says we need evolution not revolution.”
Sanders then changed course, attacking Bloomberg and former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who defended himself by noting — as Warren had until last February — that Trump and the Republicans will not be thusly constrained.
After all that, in a post-debate interview, Warren went ahead and said she would accept money from some billionaires, anyway.
Watch the full exchange above via ABC News.
