Bernie Sanders Says Trump Isn’t ‘Draining Swamp’ With Billionaire Cronies Running Show
Bernie Sanders attacked Donald Trump on Sunday for breaking his promise to end corruption in Washington, D.C. by seating at his inauguration a coterie of wealthy donors.
“I found it somewhat amusing that Mr. Trump, President Trump, was punching the establishment,” the Vermont senator told John Dickerson of CBS’ “Face the Nation.” “But right behind him, sitting in the VIP sections, were billionaire, after billionaire, after billionaire.”
A planning document leaked to the Intercept shows that the inauguration committee gave the best seats at the event to mega-donors like casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, real estate magnate Richard LeFrak and finance industry titan Carl Icahn. Other prime spots were given to friends and family of the president and Vice President Mike Pence.
Seating at Saturday morning’s church service at the National Cathedral also rewarded of donors. Four dozen of the spots in the pews went to Thomas J. Barrack, Jr., a little known billionaire who headed up the inauguration committee, which fundraised $100 million for the festivities.
Contact Daniel J. Solomon at [email protected] or on Twitter @DanielJSolomon
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we still need 300 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30