In her statement, Warren said “I have no interest in discussing this private meeting any further because Bernie and I have far more in common than on our differences on punditry. “We have been friends and allies in this fight for long time, and I have no doubt we will continue to work together to defeat Donald Trump and put our government on the side of the people.”
Sanders campaign manager Faiz Shakir had urged Warren to speak out on the CNN report earlier in the day, telling NBC News, “I believe strongly what we are talking about here is a lie.”
“I believe that she should come out and say yeah, that is not my recollection of events, of course Bernie Sanders does not believe that,” Shakir said.
The bitter back and forth between the two longtime friends comes one day before the two are due to share the stage at a Democratic presidential debate in Des Moines, Iowa.
The pair had defended each other against their more moderate rivals in past Democratic debates, but cracks in their relationship began to show in recent days after Sanders started surging in the polls.
Over 50 arrested as anti-ICE protesters allegedly hurl rocks at Minneapolis officers during demonstration
‘Road rage incident’ turns deadly as Virginia highway stabbing leaves 2 people dead; dog also killed
Parents Get Enormous Payout After School Forces Kids to Read LGBT Books
House Republicans push Johnson to go to war with Senate over SAVE Act
CNN Blames Trump as Looming Mega Sale Has Staffers ‘Freaking Out’
CNN Announces ‘Special Project’ Against ‘Christian Nationalism’
Mike Tyson Joins Forces With RFK Jr. to Battle Processed Foods
Trump’s Iran strike rocks Texas Senate race as Dems demand ‘war powers,’ GOP applauds president
Trump pledges to ‘avenge’ fallen US service members as tensions with Iran intensify
Texas bar shooting suspect wore ‘Property of Allah’ clothing with Iranian flag
Three US Service Members Killed, Five Seriously Wounded During Operation Epic Fury Against Iran
Burger King Is Altering Its Flagship Burger for the First Time in Nearly 10 Years
Deadly Austin shooting that killed 3 may be ‘act of terrorism,’ FBI says
9 people injured in mass shooting at Riverfront Live in Cincinnati
Enemy within: Counterterrorism experts fear sleeper cells could be poised inside US
“The timing of this clearly shows that this is a desperate move,” one senior Sanders aide told NBC News. “Unfortunately Elizabeth Warren’s campaign has been going down in the polls, and this is the latest in an attack on one of her leading competitors.”
Politico reported over the weekend that the Sanders’ campaign had been giving volunteers talking points describing Warren as the candidate of elites.
Warren said Sunday she was “disappointed” by the campaign’s actions.
“I was disappointed to hear that Bernie is sending his volunteers out to trash me,” she told NBC News.
Sanders downplayed the Politico report, saying his campaign has “hundreds of employees” and “people sometimes say things that they shouldn’t.”
“I have never said a negative word about Elizabeth Warren who is a friend of mine. We have differences on issues, that’s what campaigning is about. But no one is going to be attacking Elizabeth,” Sanders said.
Sanders has in the past been critical of some of Warren’s policy positions, particularly health care.
Over 50 arrested as anti-ICE protesters allegedly hurl rocks at Minneapolis officers during demonstration
‘Road rage incident’ turns deadly as Virginia highway stabbing leaves 2 people dead; dog also killed
Parents Get Enormous Payout After School Forces Kids to Read LGBT Books
House Republicans push Johnson to go to war with Senate over SAVE Act
CNN Blames Trump as Looming Mega Sale Has Staffers ‘Freaking Out’
CNN Announces ‘Special Project’ Against ‘Christian Nationalism’
Mike Tyson Joins Forces With RFK Jr. to Battle Processed Foods
Trump’s Iran strike rocks Texas Senate race as Dems demand ‘war powers,’ GOP applauds president
Trump pledges to ‘avenge’ fallen US service members as tensions with Iran intensify
Texas bar shooting suspect wore ‘Property of Allah’ clothing with Iranian flag
Three US Service Members Killed, Five Seriously Wounded During Operation Epic Fury Against Iran
Burger King Is Altering Its Flagship Burger for the First Time in Nearly 10 Years
Deadly Austin shooting that killed 3 may be ‘act of terrorism,’ FBI says
9 people injured in mass shooting at Riverfront Live in Cincinnati
Enemy within: Counterterrorism experts fear sleeper cells could be poised inside US
In an October interview with ABC, Sanders said his Massachusetts counterpart “is a very, very good senator. But there are differences between Elizabeth and myself. Elizabeth, I think, as you know, has said that she is a capitalist through her bones. I’m not.”
Before Sunday, Warren had largely avoided being critical of Sanders and his campaign, typically telling reporters asking about the differences between them that they’re friends and she doesn’t want to comment on other campaigns.