Hill.TV host Krystal Ball on Wednesday accused Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) of launching a “vicious attack” on fellow Democratic presidential contender Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) amid heightened tensions between the progressive firebrands.
“Elizabeth Warren has claimed for a long time that Bernie Sanders is a close friend and ally, but now that things are coming down to the wire she decided to level this ugly, vicious identity politics attacks on him for her own political gain,” said Ball, a vocal Sanders supporter, while referring to Warren’s comments during Tuesday night’s Democratic presidential primary debate.
“It’s desperate and it’s obvious exactly what she’s doing,” she added.
Ball weighed in amid rising tensions between Sanders and Warren after CNN reported this week that Sanders told the Massachusetts senator at a meeting in 2018 that a woman couldn’t win the presidency.
Warren confirmed that Sanders “disagreed” with her belief that a woman could become president, while Sanders has denied ever making such a statement. The pair addressed the issue during the debate Tuesday night, with both digging into their positions.
“Anyone who knows me knows that it is incomprehensible that I do not think a woman could be president of the United States,” Sanders said.
The pair were seen on stage at the end of the debate in what appeared to be a tense exchange, with Warren seemingly trying to make a point to the Vermont senator. The interaction ended after a few seconds, with both senators walked away without shaking hands.
Sanders supporters took to social media following the debate to defend the candidate and lambast Warren, with the hashtag “Never Warren” soon trending on Twitter. Nina Turner, co-chairwoman Sanders’s presidential campaign, also took a swipe at Warren on Wednesday.
“I know 30 years ago she was a Republican,” Turner said, according to HuffPost.
During the debate, Warren touted that she was the only candidate on stage to have defeated a Republican incumbent over the last 30 years, a remark that drew pushback from Sanders.
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