Sanders Spox Walks Back Claim That Bloomberg ‘Suffered Heart Attacks’

Democratic Presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg looks on while visiting 'Building Momentum', a veteran owned business in Alexandria, Virginia on February 7, 2020. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Wednesday’s Nevada debate is still hours away, but Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Michael Bloombergs’ campaigns are already exchanging blows. 

During an appearance on CNN Wednesday morning, Sanders press secretary Briahna Joy Gray was asked whether Americans deserve to know more about the Vermont senator’s health following a heart attack late last year. Sanders said during a CNN town hall the night before that he has no plans to release further medical records.

Gray responded that “the American people deserve to know exactly as much as every other candidate has released in this race currently and historically” before characterizing the scrutiny surrounding Sanders’ health as a “kind of smear, kind of skepticism campaign.”

Gray then went on to argue that “it’s really telling” that Bloomberg hasn’t received the same kind of scrutiny though he “has suffered heart attacks in the past.”

That’s not true. Though Bloomberg has undergone a procedure to place two stents in a coronary artery, he has not had a heart attack.

Bloomberg campaign manager Kevin Sheekey told TPM in a statement that Sanders’ campaign is “spreading an absolute lie” that’s “completely false.” Bloomberg’s campaign also pointed TPM to a letter released in December by his doctor saying that he’s “in outstanding health” and “great physical shape.”

“The truth is: After a positive stress test in his doctor’s office at Johns Hopkins University in 2000, Mike had two coronary stents placed,” Sheekey said in the statement. “He quickly told the FAA, consistent with the rules for any pilot, and this information has been public for years. The Bloomberg 2020 campaign released more information about his outstanding health soon after he entered the race.”

Later Wednesday morning, Gray walked back her claim in a tweet.

Sheekey added that Sanders’ campaign staff is now “spreading lies” about Bloomberg, and noted that Sanders did not publicly reveal his October heart attack for days.

Watch Sanders’ press secretary’s remarks below:

Latest News

Notable Replies

  1. [Sanders press secretary] then went on to argue that “it’s really telling” that Bloomberg hasn’t received the same kind of scrutiny though [Bloomberg] “has suffered heart attacks in the past.”

    Rule that’s too often ignored:

    When you don’t know something, don’t make pronouncements about it.

  2. This would be different if it was Trump accusing Bloomberg of suffering past heart attacks. He’s not required by anyone to tell the truth.

  3. Bernie hears Bloomberg’s footsteps, lol.

  4. If the present incumbent followed that rule, he’d never be heard from again.

  5. Avatar for tena tena says:

    Well yesterday was the first day of early voting in Texas and I don’t know who they voted for but turnout was about double what it was in 2016.

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

334 more replies

Participants

Avatar for cabchi Avatar for littlegirlblue Avatar for cervantes Avatar for steviedee111 Avatar for turdburgler Avatar for zoester Avatar for inversion Avatar for sniffit Avatar for yskov Avatar for greylady Avatar for musgrove Avatar for tena Avatar for jtx Avatar for castor_troy Avatar for redemptionsong Avatar for khyber900 Avatar for brian512 Avatar for phlogiston Avatar for txlawyer Avatar for zenicetus Avatar for rucleare Avatar for terryelc Avatar for faydout Avatar for dogselfie

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: