In by far their most personal exchange of the campaign, Hillary Clinton lashed out during Thursday night’s Democratic debate at what she called Bernie Sanders’ “innuendo” and “insinuation” that her Wall Street speaking fees and donations mean she’s bought.
“I think it’s time to end the very artful smear that you and your campaign have been carrying out,” Clinton said.
Some in the audience at the University of New Hampshire in Durham booed at the attack. Sanders seemed taken aback, saying, “Ooohh, c’mon.”
The Vermont senator, ahead by 20 points in the latest NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, said Wall Street, oil companies and pharmaceutical companies are motivated by their campaign contributions to keep the economy rigged.
“There is a reason why these people are putting huge amounts of money into our political system. And in my view, it is undermining American democracy,” he said in their last debate before Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary.
Moderator Rachel Maddow marveled at the tension.
“Senator Sanders, Secretary Clinton, obviously we’ve touched a nerve,” the MSNBC host said.
Intent to tear into Sanders’ lead, Clinton argued that she was a realistic progressive who could get results while Sanders’ plans to provide Medicare for all and tuition-free college were “not achievable.”
Clinton tried to clean up a stumble from Wednesday, when she said she took $675,000 in fees from Goldman Sachs because that’s what they offered.
“I did go on the speaking circuit. I spoke to heart doctors. I spoke to the American Camping Association. I spoke to auto dealers,” the former secretary of state said.
But she hedged on whether she would release transcripts.
“I will look into it. I don’t know the status, but I will certainly look into it,” she said.
Buoyed by his near-win in Iowa and $20 million in contributions in January, Sanders argued that he has the support of voters to take down the establishment and ignite a political revolution.
“Secretary Clinton does represent the establishment. I represent, I hope, ordinary Americans, and, by the way, who are not all that enamored with the establishment,” Sanders said.
Clinton was having none of it.
“Senator Sanders is the only person who I think would characterize me, a woman running to be the first woman president, as exemplifying the establishment. And I’ve got to tell you that it is really quite amusing to me,” she said to applause.
Sanders said he linked Clinton to the establishment because throughout her life she has raised money from special interests.
Clinton didn’t hold back in her response. “Time and time again, by innuendo, by insinuation, there is this attack that he is putting forth, which really comes down to, you know, anybody who ever took donations or speaking fees from any interest group has to be bought,” she said.
“And I just absolutely reject that, Senator. And I really don’t think these kinds of attacks by insinuation are worthy of you . . . If you’ve got something to say, say it directly. But you will not find that I ever changed a view or a vote because of any donation that I ever received.”
On the campaign trail, meanwhile, Clinton refused to take a position on whether women should be required to register for the draft, even though she supported such registration in 2007 during her last presidential run.