Hillary Clinton wonders aloud if Bernie Sanders is even a Democrat

(Image credit: Andrew Renneisen/Getty Images)

The friction between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders is suddenly sending up sparks. In recent weeks, the two ostensibly friendly campaigners have ratcheted up their attacks — and both have become noticeably frustrated with their campaigns not entirely going their way.

Clinton's displeasure might have reached a breaking point when she confessed to Politico that she is not even sure Sanders is a Democrat in the first place:

Sanders had just told an interviewer that he was iffy about raising money for down-ballot Democrats, so I asked Clinton the obvious question: Did she think Sanders is a real Democrat?"Well, I can't answer that," she said with a smile. Then she proceeded to answer the question. "He's a relatively new Democrat, and, in fact, I'm not even sure he is one. He's running as one. So I don't know quite how to characterize him." [Politico]

In the audio of the interview, Clinton goes on to say that, "I know there is a big difference between Democrats and Republicans. And I know Senator Sanders spends a lot of time attacking my husband, attacking President Obama... I rarely hear him say anything negative about George W. Bush."

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Shots fired — listen below, starting at 56:30. Jeva Lange

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.