MILFORD, N.H. — Former President Bill Clinton unleashed his most direct attacks on Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders Sunday as New Hampshire primary voters begin to make up their minds before going to the polls on Tuesday.
Clinton called Sanders a hypocrite for criticizing his wife for taking large speaking fees from Goldman Sachs and other financial institutions, referencing a CNN story that Sanders benefited from Goldman money via the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
“Hillary’s opponent has a different view. It’s a hermetically sealed box. It’s very effective. ‘The system is rigged against you by the big banks, and both parties are in the thrall of the big banks. Anybody who takes money from Goldman Sachs couldn’t possibly be president.'”
Clinton said he “fell out of [his] chair” when he heard Sanders say that.
“Well after that CNN report from yesterday he may have tweaked that answer a little bit. Either that or we’ll have to get us a write-in candidate,” Clinton said. (RELATED: Accused Rapist Bill Clinton Complains About ‘Sexist’ ‘Bernie Bros’)
According to CNN, in 2006, the DSCC gave Sanders $37,300 and included him in the party’s fundraising efforts. The party also spent $60,000 on ads for Sanders, and donated $100,000 to the Vermont Democratic Party, which supported Sanders, despite his run as an independent.
Who gave to the DSCC that year? Goldman Sachs shelled out $685,000. Citigroup donated $326,000. Morgan Stanley wrote a check for $260,000 and JPMorgan Chase & Co. handed over $207,000.
Clinton made fun of Sanders’ criticism of Hillary as a member of the establishment, later mimicking the senator’s accusations of her.
“‘Anybody that doesn’t agree with me is a tool of the establishment,'” Clinton said with a smirk.
His attacks against Sanders did not stop there. He went after the Vermont senator for last December’s DNC database breach by a Sanders campaign staffer. Sanders himself immediately apologized for the incident, but Bill Clinton did not forget about it.
“It was your campaign that made 25 separate inquiries in the mere space of 30 minutes trying to [steal] information out of computers,” Clinton said.
“In private [the Sanders campaign] sent an email complaining [about the DNC] leaving the keys in the car, and said, all I did was drive off,” he added.
President Clinton angered at the Sanders camp initial response remarked, “You gotta give it to ’em,” he said, “I mean, that’s really good.”
President Clinton held down New Hampshire Sunday afternoon as Hillary flew to Flint, Michigan to give remarks about the water crisis in the state.
Bill found another opportunity to take a swipe at Sanders over the issue in Michigan, describing that his wife did something as opposed to Sanders simply just saying something.
Clinton recalled, “[Hillary] said, ‘So I called the mayor and said, ‘can I help? I’ll send someone to see you.’ So she sent someone to see him. The mayor said, ‘Look, I asked for this much funding. They gave me 10 percent, and I need it all, here’s why — 1-2-3-4-5. And what Hillary should do is get on television and do an interview and don’t say a word about the campaign. Don’t say a word about anything. Just talk about why we need the money.'”
He added, “She did it. They got the money.”
“The point is her first instinct was ‘What can I do to help?’ Her opponent, what was the first thing he said? He said, ‘I agree with everything she said. The governor should resign,'” Clinton said.
“Now you see. He should [resign], but I don’t think a Republican governor cares much about what two people running for the Democratic nomination want. It makes you feel good but to them it makes more difference if you make something happen.”
President Clinton became particularly incensed over the online attacks against supporters of his wife by people claiming to support Sanders.
“People who have gone online to defend Hillary and explain why they support her have been subject to vicious trolling and attacks that are literally too profane — not to mention sexist — to repeat,” he said.
The online attacks allegedly stem from Sanders supporters, who also go after politicians and writers critical of Sanders, make accusations that Clinton supporters are voting “based on who had the vagina” and coined such vulgar terms as “clitrash.”
Sen. Sanders condemned the behavior, telling the online cabal on Sunday during a TV appearance, “I have heard about it,” he said. “It’s disgusting. Look we don’t want that crap.” He added, “That is not what this campaign is about.”
Hillary Clinton is expected back on the campaign trail in New Hampshire on Monday.
