Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) told “The Daily Show” host Jon Stewart on Thursday night that powerful corporations have made sure that every law in the United States protects the “tender fannies of the rich and the powerful.”
Stewart asked Warren about corruption in U.S. government and whether it has become the norm, citing Sen. Bob Menendez’s (D-NJ) recent indictment on 14 counts of corruption.
“Do they really believe this system is not corrupted or are they aware of pulling the levers of power?” Stewart asked Warren.
“Powerful corporations, rich people, have figured out that if you can bend the government to help you just a little bit, it’s a tremendous payoff,” Warren responded. “And if you can bend it to help you just a little bit more, and a little bit more, the playing field just gets more and more tilted, and the rich and the powerful just do better and better.”
Warren said that lobbyists maintain a constant presence in Washington, D.C. “to make sure that the tender fannies of the rich and the powerful are always carefully protected in every rule that’s written, in every conversation, in every discussion.”
The senator said that there is “so much money flowing into Washington” that it has “become the norm.”
Watch part of Stewart’s interview with Warren via Comedy Central:
