Billionaire investor Leon Cooperman went after Democratic Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren on Fox Business Wednesday and called Democratic Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders “a communist.”
“You have a running commentary with senator Elizabeth Warren who lately says you are afraid of her or she threatens you,” Fox Business host Larry Kudlow told Cooperman. “Are you frightened of Elizabeth Warren, is that really true or is she just making that up?”
Cooperman said that Warren’s comments are “not true in the slightest.” He told Kudlow that he was speaking at a conference two years ago and said that the markets would go down 20% if Warren was elected president. His comments began an ongoing battle between the two. (RELATED: Leon Cooperman Optimistic Despite Stock Losses)
“So she invites me to appear before her committee, but she showed me that she’s a politician in the worst sense of the word,” Cooperman continued. “She was not looking for truth.”
“I didn’t think there was anything to be gained by appearing before a committee where she controls the microphone and tries to embarrass me,” he added. “I have nothing to be embarrassed about. I’ve given away hundreds of millions of dollars to charity.”
Cooperman said that he’s “the last person” Warren should be attacking and that he’s willing to pay more in taxes.
“We’ve got to get away from this tax and spend and fair share baloney,” Cooperman continued. He criticized Bernie Sanders as a “communist” for his proposed wealth tax.
“I am willing to give 50% to the government, okay. If you talk to Bernie Sanders – I don’t think he’s a socialist, I think he’s a communist – he says 90%. Talk to Elizabeth Warren, 70% as a wealth tax.”
Cooperman said that there are different things they could do to raise tax revenue, but “they don’t have the courage.”
The rivalry between Cooperman and Warren began during the senator’s run for president when she proposed a wealth tax. In a letter to Warren sent after her proposal, Cooperman said that Warren’s “vilification of the rich” was “misguided,” according to a CNBC report. Cooperman said that he believes in a progressive income tax and agrees that wealthy people should pay more in taxes, but slammed Warren’s proposal as “sh*tting on” the American dream.
Leon, you were able to succeed because of the opportunities this country gave you. Now why don’t you pitch in a bit more so everyone else has a chance at the American dream, too? https://t.co/OODIM7RcRn
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) October 23, 2019
The two repeatedly clashed before Warren invited Cooperman to testify before a Senate Finance subcommittee hearing on taxes. Cooperman declined the invitation and called it “self-serving and disingenuous,” CNBC reported.