After CBS Evening News refused to cover Hillary Clinton yelling at a Bernie Sanders supporter during a campaign event on Thursday, Friday’s CBS This Morning demanded the Vermont Senator answer charges that he was “lying” about Clinton getting donations from the fossil fuel industry.
At the top of the morning show, co-host Gayle King proclaimed: “Hillary Clinton gets fired up, accusing Bernie Sanders’ campaign of lying about her. We’ll ask Sanders to respond here in studio 57.” Minutes later, fellow co-host Charlie Rose declared: “Hillary Clinton seems to be losing patience with the Bernie Sanders campaign, frustrated by the Bernie Sanders campaign, and suggesting they are lying about her.”
Face the Nation moderator John Dickerson argued Clinton’s temper tantrum was really just a display of her “authenticity” as a candidate: “I mean, you know, people said she needed to show authenticity, that was a face full of authenticity. The charge is ‘Stop saying I’m basically corrupt without proof’....Bernie Sanders has been saying she gets money from these various different groups and that, that has a corrupting influence and she is sick of it...”
During an interview with Sanders in the 8 a.m. ET hour, Rose pressed: “Let’s talk about these accusations. She says that your campaign is lying about her.” After Sanders cited a Greenpeace study showing “Hillary Clinton received $4.5 million dollars from the fossil fuel industry,” Rose countered: “Factcheck.org, as you know, ‘Clinton's 2016 campaign has not accepted any direct contributions from any corporation, oil and gas companies included.’”
Sanders reiterated: “No, that's not true. What I’ve just read you is what is the fact. 4.5 million, including money from 50 lobbyists from the fossil fuel industry.” Rose suggested the truth was unknown: “But there’s one source says she has taken those from corporations and another source says she hasn't.”
Sanders explained: “If you are a lobbyist for the fossil fuel industry and there are 50 of you and you make a contribution, that, to me, Charlie, is a contribution from the fossil fuel industry....If people receive money from lobbyists of the industry, I think you're receiving money from the industry.”
Later in the exchange, fill-in co-host Dana Jacobson urged Sanders to back Clinton as the eventual Democratic nominee:
Senator, we’ve he seen with the Republican Party this week that idea of party loyalty and “will get behind whoever is the nominee” is gone. In your case, and I know Clinton's campaign so far is saying you'll be done by the end of the month....in the end, no matter nominee or not, if it is Hillary Clinton, will you get behind the Clinton campaign and have your supporters behind her as well? Because the Republican Party is so divided right now.
Sanders replied: “I obviously can't speak for millions of supporters, individual people.” Jacobson interrupted: “But you can encourage them.”
Sanders assured her: “But what I can tell you is I think it would be an absolute disaster for this country if we had a Donald Trump as President of the United States and I will do everything I can to prevent that.” She followed up: “Does that mean supporting Hillary Clinton?”
On ABC’s Good Morning America, World News Tonight anchor David Muir grilled Sanders by parroting Clinton campaign talking points.
Here is a full transcript of the April 1 interview with Sanders:
8:03 AM ET
GAYLE KING: The Democratic race in Wisconsin is very close, but both candidates are busy campaigning in New York, New York. Bernie Sanders told thousands of people in the Bronx last night that he can win the November election if he wins the New York primary later this month. Hillary Clinton returned to the college campus near New York City where she announced her first U.S. Senate run 16 years ago. Clinton blasted her opponent at that rally when a Greenpeace activist asked her about taking campaign contributions from the fossil fuel industry.
HILLARY CLINTON: I have money from people who work for fossil fuel companies. I am so sick...I am so sick of the Sanders campaign lying about this. I am sick of it.
CHARLIE ROSE: Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders is here in Studio 57 and we are pleased to welcome him back to the table. Welcome, sir.
BERNIE SANDERS: Good to be with you.
ROSE: Let’s talk about these accusations. She says that your campaign is lying about her.
SANDERS: Well, guess what, according to a Greenpeace study, they look at campaign finance reports, Hillary Clinton received $4.5 million dollars from the fossil fuel industry. She has received individual contributions from over 50 lobbyists of the oil and gas industry. We are not –
ROSE: Factcheck.org, as you know, “Clinton's 2016 campaign has not accepted any direct contributions from any corporation, oil and gas companies included.”
SANDERS: No, that's not true. What I’ve just read you is what is the fact. 4.5 million, including money from 50 lobbyists from the fossil fuel industry.
ROSE: But there’s one source says she has taken those from corporations and another source says she hasn't.
SANDERS: But there’s a difference. If you are a lobbyist for the fossil fuel industry and there are 50 of you and you make a contribution, that, to me, Charlie, is a contribution from the fossil fuel industry. That’s different than saying you get it from ExxonMobil, but to deny that she has received substantial –
ROSE: From individuals is what you're saying?
SANDERS: Lobbyists of the industry. If people receive money from lobbyists of the industry, I think you're receiving money from the industry. These are not just a little worker there, these are lobbyists who represent the oil and gas industry.
ROSE: When you look at this, do you feel that she is now beginning to feel the pressure of your campaign?
SANDERS: Well, Charlie, we have won six out of the last seven caucuses. In every instance, we have won by landslide victories. We’re fighting hard in Wisconsin. I think we’ve got a shot to win here in New York State. What virtually every poll shows us is that we are beating Trump. I think the last CNN poll had us up 20 points ahead of Trump, far more than she was leading Trump and I think more and more Democrats are looking at Bernie Sanders as the candidate who can best defeat Trump or some other Republican candidate.
KING: But first, you’ve got to get past Hillary Clinton. And when you look at the numbers, mathematically it still isn't good for you. You talk about the caucus win, but now we’ve got a lot of primary states coming up where she does very, very well. What is it that you know, Senator Sanders, that the rest of us don't, in terms of your path to victory?
SANDERS: Well, I think we’ve got a lot of momentum, Gayle. Last night, we had a rally in the south Bronx, we had over 18,000 people out. We’re working hard in Wisconsin. If there’s a large voter turnout there, I think we’ve got a shot to win that. And I think what should be understood is that a lot of the early states that were contested were in the deep south and that is, as you know, the most conservative part of America. We do not do well. We’re now moving elsewhere, we’re moving to the west, we’re moving to New York. We think we have a real shot to win.
ROSE: The polls show you ahead in Wisconsin. But you seem to be very nervous about that. You seem to be pulling back from expectation.
SANDERS: Well –
KING: Is that your nervous face? Look at that smile! Wow!
SANDERS: Look, I don't like to speculate. What will be, will be. All I can tell you is we’re working very, very hard and I think we’ve got a real shot.
ROSE: You told me you would win in Wisconsin – in New York. You told me this morning you could win in New York, but you have not said you're likely to win in Wisconsin.
SANDERS: This is what I think. When voter turnout is high, when working people, middle class people come out and are prepared to stand up and take on the 1%, support our agenda, then we win. If the voter turnout is low in Wisconsin, New York State, you know what, we’ll likely not win. But I think what we are seeing now is people all over this country sick and tired of the status quo. They’re working longer hours for low wages. Almost all new income and wealth is going to the top 1%. They’re upset about a corrupt campaign finance system.
ROSE: Do you think they’re voting for you or simply voting against Hillary Clinton?
SANDERS: Oh, I think they’re voting for our agenda. And I'll tell you something that’s very interesting, not widely reported. Whether you're Republican, Democrat, progressive, conservative, people are disgusted with the campaign finance system in which super-PACs and billionaires are trying to buy elections.
DANA JACOBSON: Senator, we’ve he seen with the Republican Party this week that idea of party loyalty and “will get behind whoever is the nominee” is gone. In your case, and I know Clinton's campaign so far is saying you'll be done by the end of the month and we’ll move forward. You don't feel that way. But come the end, no matter win or lose –
SANDERS: She has said we’ll be done by the end of the month?
JACOBSON: She has said that April 26th will be the – that, that will be a changing point. April 26th. But let me ask you, in the end, no matter nominee or not, if it is Hillary Clinton, will you get behind the Clinton campaign and have your supporters behind her as well? Because the Republican Party is so divided right now.
SANDERS: I obviously can't speak for millions of supporters, individual people.
JACOBSON: But you can encourage them.
SANDERS: But what I can tell you is I think it would be an absolute disaster for this country if we had a Donald Trump as President of the United States and I will do everything I can to prevent that.
JACOBSON: Does that mean supporting Hillary Clinton?
SANDERS: Well, I am sure that when Hillary Clinton announces she’ll be supporting me, we’ll go forward together.
KING: You know, your campaign is very fascinating to a lot of people. I've seen Democratic households divided. The husband wants you, the wife wants her, vice versa. The kids want you, the parents want [her]. One twenty-something said to me, “What I like about him, he’s like my grandpa. He gets me. He cares. He's smart.” Is it a compliment to you to be compared to a grandpa who gets them?
SANDERS: Well, it's a compliment if they think I'm smart, that's for sure.
KING: Yes, yes, yes.
SANDERS: But I'll tell you something, I have been amazed all over this country at seeing the enthusiasm and the idealism and the love in the eyes of kids who want to make this country a better place to live. But it is not just the young people. We’re winning the votes of people 45 years of age and younger as well.
ROSE: Senator Sanders, great to have you here.
SANDERS: Great to be here.
ROSE: The Senator is not leaving us just now, he’s heading to our green room now for a live Facebook video chat. And you can check it out at Facebook.com/CBSThisMorning.
