A top campaign official for Sen. Bernie Sanders criticized the media’s coverage of the Vermont senator’s health scare last week, calling it “ridiculous” and “asinine.”
“When you have a crisis in your life — your first damn thought is not to notify the media,” Nina Turner, co-chairwoman of Sanders’s presidential campaign, told Hill.TV in response to a Politico report that claimed that the campaign waited almost three days before disclosing that the senator had a heart attack.
“It’s really ridiculous, it’s asinine,” she added.
Turner also took issue reports that the campaign initially tried to cover up that Sanders had a heart attack.
“It really unfortunate in this day and age that people can’t go through what naturally happens in life — whether you’re running for president or not — and do so in peace without people talking about a cover up,” she said.
Her comments come as Sanders puts his campaign on hold to recover from the heart attack.
The Vermont senator was hospitalized last week after experiencing chest pains, and underwent heart surgery to have two stents placed in a blocked coronary artery.
Turner said Sanders is already on the mend, emphasizing that the 78-year-old is “doing just fine,” and said the campaign was heartened by the outpour of support.
“People were just really cheering him on and his family but he’s in great spirits,” she told Hill.TV.
Turner’s comments came after Sanders was spotted walking with his wife in Burlington, Vermont for the first time since experiencing his heart attack.
The top-tier candidate told reporters that he was feeling better and planned to return to the campaign trail “soon.”
—Tess Bonn
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