Bernie Sanders says Hillary Clinton’s ‘damn emails’ should be investigated
Bernie Sanders says the American people are sick of hearing about Hillary Clinton’s “damn emails,” but that doesn’t mean he wants the federal probe into them to end.
“There’s an investigation going on right now,” Sanders told the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday. “I did not say, ‘End the investigation.’ That’s silly.”
The Vermont independent senator and self-described Democratic socialist said the questions surrounding Clinton’s use of a private email server as secretary of state are “valid” and that the investigation should “proceed unimpeded.”
The comments come as Clinton has cemented her position as the Democratic frontrunner in the weeks since the first Democratic debate, where Sanders was applauded for what appeared to be a defense of his rival.
“The American people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn emails,” Sanders said. “Enough of the emails. Let’s talk about the real issues facing America.”
Sanders said Wednesday he doesn’t regret those remarks, but added: “You get 12 seconds to say these things.”
Bernie Sanders holds up his cellphone during a rally in Los Angeles last month. (Photo: Lucy Nicholson/Reuters)
The clarification of his position on Clinton’s emails comes at a critical time for Sanders’ campaign.
An NBC News/Wall Street Journal national poll released Tuesday shows Clinton has opened up a 31-point lead (62 percent to 31 percent) over Sanders among likely Democratic primary voters.
A Monmouth University poll of New Hampshire Democrats released the same day found Clinton has retaken the lead over Sanders (48 percent to 45 percent) in the Granite State. The same poll conducted in September had Sanders leading Clinton 43 percent to 36 percent there.
A Monmouth poll of likely Democratic caucus-goers released last week has Clinton holding a 41-point lead in Iowa, with the former secretary receiving 65 percent support compared to Sanders’ 24 percent. And a Winthrop University poll of South Carolina Democrats released on Wednesday shows Clinton with a commanding 55-point lead over Sanders, with 71 percent of likely Democratic primary voters saying they plan to support her candidacy.
Despite the favorable poll numbers, the Clinton campaign doesn’t appear to be taking its foot off the gas. It released a new ad in Iowa and New Hampshire earlier this week touting her position on gun control — an issue on which Clinton stands to the left of the progressive Vermont senator.
“She is very much trying to put Bernie Sanders on the defensive, and it may be that she feels she has a chance to put this race away,” Brad Bannon, a Democratic strategist, told the Hill newspaper. “I think a lot of this is trying to end this campaign as early as possible and basically blow Bernie Sanders out of the race.”
Sanders speaks during a campaign stop in Manchester, N.H., last week. (Photo: Jim Cole/AP)
But Sanders says he still sees a path to the Democratic nomination — and isn’t going away.
“Look, when we began this campaign some six months ago, I would say 80 percent of American people didn’t know who Bernie Sanders was or what I stood for,” Sanders told NPR. “We have come a very, very long way.”
In his interview with the Wall Street Journal, Sanders put it bluntly: “We’re going to pull off one of the major upsets in American history.”
