Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) came to the defense of his rival, Hillary Clinton, during Tuesday’s first Democratic debate over questions about her use of a private email server during her time as secretary of state.
“Let me say something that may not be great politics. But I think the secretary is right,” he said, gesturing toward Clinton. “And that is that the American people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn emails.”
“Thank you. Thank you,” Clinton said in response, breaking into surprised laughter.
Their exchange was met with some of the loudest applause of the night.
“Enough with the emails,” Sanders continued. “Let’s talk about the real issues facing America.”
Clinton has faced heavy criticism for conducting official business from a private server kept in her upstate New York home while she was a member of the Obama administration. She and her staff maintain that no classified information was received or sent from her private account.