‘We Responded’ to Washington Post Headline
Bernie Sanders Friday morning said “of course” Hillary Clinton is qualified to be President of the United States. The Vermont Senator had said on Wednesday, “I don’t believe that she is qualified, if she is, through her super PAC, taking tens of millions of dollars in special interest funds. I don’t think that you are qualified if you get $15 million from Wall Street through your super PAC.” Thursday morning he repeated those comments in a press release.
But in a “Today” show town hall Friday morning, Sanders acknowledged he had been responding to a headline in The Washington Post, one that many journalists have discredited as false.
NBC News’ Savannah Guthrie, a “Today” co-host, point-blank asked Sen. Sanders if he believes Secretary Clinton is qualified, given all he knows now, including that Clinton never said he was “unqualified” to be president.
“Well, what I now know is that after we have won six out of the last seven caucuses and primaries and in national polls — couple of them — we are now in the lead, the Clinton campaign has changed its tone,” he said. “And I think they were pretty public about it. And that is when we come here to New York, they’re going to be a lot more negative. And that’s what you’re seeing from their surrogates and from the tone of their campaign.”
“When The Washington Post has a headline that says that Clinton campaign thinks that Sanders is unqualified, we responded.”
Guthrie probed more, asking, “Did you overreact?”
“Here’s the truth,” Sanders replied. “I’ve know Hillary Clinton for 25 years. I respect Hillary Clinton. We were colleagues in the Senate,” he said. “And on her worst day, she would be an infinitely better president than either of the Republican candidates.”
“She’s qualified?” Guthrie asked.
“Of course,” Sanders said.
Watch:
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Image: Screenshot via TODAY Show/Twitter
Hat tip: Talking Points Memo
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