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Sen. Bernie Sanders, Vt., dismissed any regret on Sunday’s “Face the Nation” about his support for Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner, saying he urged Platner to back off when his ex-girlfriend accused him of sexual harassment.
Host Margaret Brennan asked Sanders if he regretted not acting sooner in response to earlier warning signs, saying it could have given Platner’s successor, former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson, more time to campaign.
“No, I don’t think so,” Sanders said. “When we heard the serious allegations against him, I wanted to call him. I wanted to talk to him. I told him. I asked, with almost all those who supported him, to withdraw from the race, and indeed he did.”
Brennan pressed Sanders on whether he was sure the other candidates who passed were properly vetted.
Sen. Bernie Sanders refused to regret his support for Graham Platner during an interview on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” (Greta Rybus/Time Magazine)
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“Well, look, I think, you know, there are hundreds of candidates. I don’t know who has been, quote unquote, fully vetted,” Sanders said. “What I do know, Margaret, is that those we support represent the working class of this country.”
Sanders campaigned repeatedly with Platner and continued to support him in controversies involving offensive social media posts, a Nazi-linked painting, allegations of abusive behavior and reports that he was sending explicit messages to women while married. Platner has denied any serious wrongdoing while apologizing for some of his past posts and comments.
When Sanders was asked in June if he was reconsidering his endorsement following the report about the text messages, he gave a two-word answer.
“Not really,” Sanders said, according to Fox News Digital.
Graham Platner has withdrawn from the Maine US Senate race after Sanders and other supporters called on him to withdraw following allegations of sexual harassment, which Platner has denied. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
PLATNER’S THREE-DAY TEST JOB RETURNS WITH SUSPICIONS AS SUSPECTED RAGING HITS TENNIS BID.
Sanders later declined to answer when Fox News Digital asked if he believed the women who had accused Platner of harassment. He called for Platner to resign after various allegations of sexual harassment surfaced, and Platner officially resigned earlier this month.
Maine Democrats elected Jackson by a 566-5 delegate vote Saturday, leaving him nearly 100 days to challenge veteran Republican Sen. Susan Collins. Collins is seeking a sixth term.
Prior to Jackson’s nomination, Fox News Digital reported that his expedited review raised concerns about his previous position on abortion and reports about his anger, work ethic and mortgage history.
One Democratic strategist described the abbreviated examination of Jackson before delegates voted.
Maine Democrats nominated Troy Jackson to replace Platner, but a Republican attorney questioned whether Jackson’s nomination violated state election law. (Getty Images)
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“This is a rocket testing process,” a Democratic analyst who works on Senate races, who asked not to be named to speak freely, told Fox News Digital.
The unrest in Maine comes amid a broader debate among Democrats about progressives challenging the establishment. Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel warned in a Wall Street Journal opinion column that the “Bernie Bros” could hurt Democrats in November by promoting unpopular candidates, Fox News Digital reported.
Sanders said Emanuel’s criticism reflects the ideological and financial divide in the party.
“There is a strong division in the Democratic Party,” Sanders said Sunday.
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“You have an institution like Rahm Emanuel, who relies on billions of campaign donors and wants to maintain the status quo,” Sanders said. “Then you have the ongoing movement, which, by the way, makes these guys nervous that we’re winning all over the country.”
