Former Pennsylvania governor calls Elizabeth Warren a 'hypocrite' over her decision to forego big money donations

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) may have sworn off receiving big money donations for her Democratic presidential campaign, but not everyone has taken kindly to the decision.

It's no secret that the foundation for Warren's campaign — which is determined to decrease the power and influence of the wealthy, especially in Silicon Valley and on Wall Street — was, in part, funded by big donors who supported her earlier Senate campaigns, The New York Times reports. Last winter and spring, Warren reportedly transferred $10.4 million in leftover funds from her 2018 Senate campaign to underwrite her presidential campaign. Some of that money came from the pockets of the people she's targeting in her current campaign, the Times writes.

Former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell (D) criticized Warren for her new policy of being funded totally by grassroots donations. "Can you spell hypocrite?" Rendell said. Rendell donated $4,000 to Warren in 2018 and recruited donors to attend a fundraising dinner for the senator at a swanky Philadelphia steakhouse, where a cheesesteak reportedly costs $120. Rendell said he received a "glowing thank you letter" from Warren after the event, but when he co-hosted former Vice President Joe Biden's first presidential campaign fundraiser this spring, Warren's campaign attacked Biden for schmoozing with the wealthy. "She didn't have any trouble taking our money the year before," Rendell said. "All of a sudden, we were bad guys and power brokers and influence-peddlers. In 2018, we were wonderful."

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Not all of her past donors have taken the switch personally, however. Sean Curran, who donated $5,400 to Warren's Senate campaign, said the practice is consistent with Warren's values. "If any other candidate did this, I'd say they were looking for the cheap political advantage," he said. Read more at The New York Times.