Hillary Clinton disavows her super PAC, dares Bernie Sanders to call Obama a Wall Street puppet


Judy Woodruff asked Hillary Clinton at Thursday's Democratic debate whether, given that two big financier donors have contributed millions to her super PAC, she can really complain about the Koch brothers and other mega-donors to the Republican candidates? Clinton said you'd have to ask the Republicans about their donations but that the super PAC aiding her is "not my PAC," saying that it was set up to support President Obama then decided to back her presidential campaign. Then she challenged Bernie Sanders' premise that a candidate can't buck Wall Street if his or her super PAC takes Wall Street donations.
In 2008, Obama "was the recipient of the largest number of Wall Street donations of anybody running on the Democratic side ever," Clinton said, but "when it mattered, he stood up and took on Wall Street," pushing through the Dodd-Frank financial reform bill. "So let's not imply in any way here that President Obama or myself would in any way not take on any vested interest," including Wall Street, drug companies, "or frankly, the gun lobby."
Sanders scoffed that Wall Street doesn't give huge sums to candidates out of civic duty. "Let's not insult the intelligence of the American people," he said. "They're not dumb." Big Business gives money to politicians because they want things in return. He again touted his million-plus donors who have given him 3.5 million donations averaging $27, versus Clinton's million-dollar super PAC contributions.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Clinton said that she has 750,000 individual donors, most of whom have given small donations, though she didn't give a number.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Trump revives K-12 Presidential Fitness Test
Speed Read The Obama administration phased the test out in 2012, replacing it with a program focused on overall health rather than standardized benchmarks
-
El Salvador scraps term limits, boosting Nayib Bukele
Speed Read New constitutional changes will allow presidents to seek reelection an indefinite number of times
-
Trump assigns tariffs, delays all except on Canada
Speed Read A 35% tariff on many Canadian goods has gone into effect
-
Harris rules out run for California governor
Speed Read The 2024 Democratic presidential nominee ended months of speculation about her plans for the contest
-
Trump sets new tariff rates as deadline nears
Speed Read New tariff rates for South Korea, Brazil and India announced
-
Ghislaine Maxwell: angling for a Trump pardon
Talking Point Convicted sex trafficker's testimony could shed new light on president's links to Jeffrey Epstein
-
Senate confirms Trump loyalist Bove to top court
Speed Read The president's former criminal defense lawyer was narrowly approved to earn a lifetime seat
-
Ghislaine Maxwell offers testimony for immunity
Speed Read The convicted sex trafficker offered to testify to Congress about her relationship with late boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein