Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders gave a barnburner of a speech over the weekend at a progressive summit co-sponsored by People for Bernie, a grassroots political organization that supports the democratic socialist politician.
That same activist group, which has over 1 million supporters, sponsored another more controversial event last week: a rally for Reality Leigh Winner, the National Security Agency contractor who stole Top Secret documents and gave them to The Intercept. (RELATED: NSA Leaker Is A Bernie Supporter Who ‘Resists’ Trump)
The 25-year-old Winner, who now faces espionage charges, appears to be a supporter of Sanders and other left-wing causes. Her social media posts show she backed Sanders and is highly critical of President Trump.
It is not clear whether Sanders also supports Winner, though People for Bernie’s support for her is unambiguous.
“Reality faces serious charges and deserves our support,” reads a Facebook invitation for the #StandWithReality event, held last Wednesday at Union Square in New York City.
“Please join us at Union Square (on the south steps), in showing your solidarity with Reality Leigh Winner. Bring a sign, bring a friend, and bring your voice!”
People for Bernie was joined by several other groups for the Winner rally, including the Courage Foundation and The Sparrow Project.
Founded in 2015, People for Bernie is also listed as one of the sponsors for The People’s Summit, an annual progressive conference held for the first time last year.
Winnie Wong and Katherine Brezler, two leaders with People for Bernie, also spoke at the three-day event. Other groups like National Nurses United, People’s Action and Democratic Socialists for America also sponsored the event.
It is not clear where Sanders stands on Winner’s alleged leaking. His Senate office did not respond to an email seeking comment.
