Representatives for Democratic presidential candidates Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Hillary Clinton traded attacks Monday as Sanders’ campaign raised concerns about Clinton’s joint campaign account with the Democratic National Committee.
Brad C. Deutsch, counsel to Sanders’ campaign, wrote in an open letter to DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz that the campaign had “extremely serious concerns” about the Hillary Victory Fund, a pool of money jointly fundraised by Clinton’s campaign and the DNC.
Deutsch stated that the money was used by Clinton’s campaign for advertising and direct mail materials, but had not benefitted the Democratic party itself or any of the state’s individual party committees. He suggested that Clinton and the DNC violated campaign finance rules and asked that the “violations should cease immediately.”
“Bernie 2016 is concerned that, at best, the joint fundraising committee’s spending on direct mail and online advertising appears to represent an impermissible in-kind contribution from the DNC and the participating state party committees to HFA,” he wrote. “At worst, using funds received from large-dollar donors who have already contributed the $2,700 maximum to HFA [Hillary for America] may represent an excessive contribution to HFA from these individuals.”
The account raised $33 million in the first three months of the year, according to paperwork filed last week with the Federal Election Commission.
Deutsch cited a February report in The Washington Post that detailed the Hillary Victory Fund as what drew the Sanders campaign’s attention to the topic. At the time, the newspaper characterized the Vermont senator’s own joint fundraising committee with the DNC as not yet active.
After Deutsch’s letter was released, Politico reported that the Sanders campaign distributed a fundraising email around the letter with the subject line, “This should anger EVERYONE.”
Clinton’s campaign manager, Robby Mook, fired back in a statement Monday afternoon, saying the “false” allegations about the Clinton campaign “have gotten out of hand.”
“As Senator Sanders faces nearly insurmountable odds, he is resorting to baseless accusations of illegal actions and poisoning the well for Democratic candidates up and down the ticket,” Mook said in a statement. “It is shameful that Senator Sanders has resorted to irresponsible and misleading attacks just to raise money for himself.”
Mook called on Sanders to “stick to the issues” and to drop his lawsuit against the DNC to prevent further draining of the party’s resources. The Sanders campaign officially filed suit last month against the DNC over access to voter information.
Shorter Bernie Baby: How dare the Democratic Party be a party. I’m offended the Hillary supporters contributed to the party. I’m going to continue to sit on my ass and expect a Congress I can work with to magically emerge.
Edited for typos.
Am I alone in thinking that Bernie isn’t just trying to make sure Hillary loses, but he’s trying to destroy the Democratic Party as a whole. It is time dems stop playing nice with this guy.
Maybe you should, you know, join a party before you start criticizing its established rules instead of just using it to get on the ballot as you might have had a wee bit of trouble with the whole Socialist thing in your party’s name. Just a thought, Bernie.
By the way, you and your holier-than-thou supporters are rapidly reaching your sell-by date.
I can’t believe how much I have moved to really disliking this guy. Feels so entitled without doing a thing. Spouting shallow wall street mantras and lies about Hillary hasn’t helped. But then, when you’re losing, who cares if Hillary supporters and Democrats in general will feel inclined to vote for you. Shooting in foot!
Well from what I see from his supporters, he has gotten this far by using the GOP method: accuse, accuse, accuse, without any proof, and your followers will swallow it hook, line and sinker. Then they go on to embroider and embroider on this “knowledge” of corruption they now have and make up even more fantastic stuff, like Hillary is for Citizens United!
It’s an ugly and very underhanded tactic and it’s time for the news media to stop reporting so much on his increasingly inartful smears now become full out lies.