Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders said during Thursday night’s Democratic debate that Hillary Clinton used a “racist term” as first lady in 1996 when she described young criminals as “superpredators.”
It’s the farthest Sanders has gone in leveled charges of racism against Clinton.
“Because it was a racist term, and everybody knew it was a racist term,” Sanders said of the “superpredator” remark when asked during Thursday’s debate, the last before New York’s primary next Tuesday.
Sanders also condemned the remarks during a campaign event at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem earlier this week.
Black activists have also hammered Clinton over the statement, which she made at the height of the gang crime wave of the 1990s.
“They are often the kinds of kids that are called ‘superpredators,'” Clinton said at the time. “No conscience, no empathy, we can talk about why they ended up that way, but first we have to bring them to heel.”
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