Bernie Sanders on Monday sought to distinguish his criticism of Democratic presidential rival Hillary Clinton’s corporate ties from an “ugly” attack on Clinton by Republican front-runner Donald Trump.
{mosads}Sanders was asked during an interview on NBC’s “Today” about Trump’s new moniker for Clinton, “crooked Hillary,” ahead of the New York primary on Tuesday.
“Donald Trump is very brilliant by coming up with statements that you guys respond to. It’s an ugly statement,” Sanders responded when asked if he agreed with the sentiment of the attack.
“What I have said is we have a corrupt campaign finance system,” Sanders said. He acknowledged he’s gone further in questioning Clinton’s judgment by accepting money from major interests.
“In that case, the entire United States government is crooked,” Sanders said with a laugh when asked if his criticism meant Clinton was crooked. “We have a corrupt system. … I’m very proud that we’re doing it differently.”
During a separate interview Monday morning, Sanders took issue with a high-dollar fundraiser for Clinton that was thrown over the weekend by actor George Clooney, charging as much as $353,000 per couple.
“I’m a big fan or George, but there’s a different way to do it,” Sanders said on “CBS This Morning.”
“You don’t have to be dependent upon big money to run a winning campaign,” he added. “You don’t have to be dependent upon the 1 percent for campaign contributions”
Sanders and Clinton are battling in New York, where polls have Clinton with a double-digit advantage before the state’s primary on Tuesday. Clinton is hoping a win in the Empire State will blunt Sanders’s momentum.
“The bottom line is, let’s look at the real poll tomorrow,” Sanders said on NBC, suggesting he may finish better than expected in the Empire State.
“We have a message that is resonating all over this country, we have enthusiasm, we have energy, people understand it’s too late for establishment politics and economics,” Sanders said.