Bernie Sanders

We spend a trillion dollars a year on the Pentagon. It is the only federal agency that is not able to submit to an independent audit. So if you think there's not massive fraud and waste and cost overruns in the Pentagon, you would be sorely mistaken.

If the corrupt means that, hey, here's $10,000, vote this way, doesn't work like that. Very, very rare. Occasionally, very, very rare. That's corruption. What happens is that if you are in a campaign, and right now the amount of money that people have to raise, you're running for Senate in Ohio, you're talking about $50, $60 million. Where the hell are you going to get that money?

If the corrupt means that, hey, here's $10,000, vote this way, doesn't work like that. Very, very rare. Occasionally, very, very rare. That's corruption. What happens is that if you are in a campaign, and right now the amount of money that people have to raise, you're running for Senate in Ohio, you're talking about $50, $60 million. Where the hell are you going to get that money?

If the corrupt means that, hey, here's $10,000, vote this way, doesn't work like that. Very, very rare. Occasionally, very, very rare. That's corruption. What happens is that if you are in a campaign, and right now the amount of money that people have to raise, you're running for Senate in Ohio, you're talking about $50, $60 million. Where the hell are you going to get that money?

It's not going to be $10 donations. You're going to be surrounding yourself with people who have the money. You're going to go $5,000, a plate dinner, et cetera. So you surround yourself with those people who say, oh, these are my problems. This is what I need. I need a tax break for billionaires, blah, blah, blah, blah. So you become, you live in that world. They are your financial support.

It's not going to be $10 donations. You're going to be surrounding yourself with people who have the money. You're going to go $5,000, a plate dinner, et cetera. So you surround yourself with those people who say, oh, these are my problems. This is what I need. I need a tax break for billionaires, blah, blah, blah, blah. So you become, you live in that world. They are your financial support.

It's not going to be $10 donations. You're going to be surrounding yourself with people who have the money. You're going to go $5,000, a plate dinner, et cetera. So you surround yourself with those people who say, oh, these are my problems. This is what I need. I need a tax break for billionaires, blah, blah, blah, blah. So you become, you live in that world. They are your financial support.

They are, in a sense, your political base. So you're very cognizant of what you do in terms of not upsetting them. So it's not corruption in the sense of people taking envelopes with huge amounts of money to vote a certain way. That very, very rarely, if ever, happens. It is the power of big money to make politicians dependent on those folks.

They are, in a sense, your political base. So you're very cognizant of what you do in terms of not upsetting them. So it's not corruption in the sense of people taking envelopes with huge amounts of money to vote a certain way. That very, very rarely, if ever, happens. It is the power of big money to make politicians dependent on those folks.

They are, in a sense, your political base. So you're very cognizant of what you do in terms of not upsetting them. So it's not corruption in the sense of people taking envelopes with huge amounts of money to vote a certain way. That very, very rarely, if ever, happens. It is the power of big money to make politicians dependent on those folks.

And that's why, you know, when I ran for president, what I'm probably maybe most proud of is the fact that we received millions and millions of campaign contributions, averaging 27 bucks a piece, I think, in 2016.

And that's why, you know, when I ran for president, what I'm probably maybe most proud of is the fact that we received millions and millions of campaign contributions, averaging 27 bucks a piece, I think, in 2016.

And that's why, you know, when I ran for president, what I'm probably maybe most proud of is the fact that we received millions and millions of campaign contributions, averaging 27 bucks a piece, I think, in 2016.

We don't welcome them into our office. I do deal with these guys, but it's usually on a confrontational tone, so they don't come into my office very often telling me their problems.

We don't welcome them into our office. I do deal with these guys, but it's usually on a confrontational tone, so they don't come into my office very often telling me their problems.

We don't welcome them into our office. I do deal with these guys, but it's usually on a confrontational tone, so they don't come into my office very often telling me their problems.

This is not, you know, like many other issues, we don't have to reinvent the wheel here. It exists in other countries. If you go to, you know, every country has their own election system, but nobody has a system where billionaires can spend unlimited sums of money through super PACs to elect the candidates of their choice. So first thing you got to do.

This is not, you know, like many other issues, we don't have to reinvent the wheel here. It exists in other countries. If you go to, you know, every country has their own election system, but nobody has a system where billionaires can spend unlimited sums of money through super PACs to elect the candidates of their choice. So first thing you got to do.

This is not, you know, like many other issues, we don't have to reinvent the wheel here. It exists in other countries. If you go to, you know, every country has their own election system, but nobody has a system where billionaires can spend unlimited sums of money through super PACs to elect the candidates of their choice. So first thing you got to do.

You know, one of the things, Lex, I found that the more important the issue, the less discussion there is. The less important the issue, the more discussion there is. A number of years ago, the United States Supreme Court, in one of its more pathetic decisions, passed the Citizens United decision. And what Citizens United decision said is you're a multi-billionaire. You want the freedom.