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

Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders fight over Wall Street influence — (Image credit: PBS Newshour)

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.

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Clinton said that she has 750,000 individual donors, most of whom have given small donations, though she didn't give a number.

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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.