Symone Sanders, a former top aide to Sen. Bernie Sanders Bernie SandersOutrage erupts over Breonna Taylor grand jury ruling Dimon: Wealth tax 'almost impossible to do' Grand jury charges no officers in Breonna Taylor death MORE (I-Vt.) who joined former Vice President Joe Biden Joe BidenBiden on Trump's refusal to commit to peaceful transfer of power: 'What country are we in?' Democratic groups using Bloomberg money to launch M in Spanish language ads in Florida Harris faces pivotal moment with Supreme Court battle MORE’s presidential campaign Thursday, acknowledged and defended previous contributions to one of Biden’s competitors, South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg Pete ButtigiegThe Hill's Morning Report - Sponsored by Facebook - GOP closes ranks to fill SCOTUS vacancy by November Buttigieg stands in as Pence for Harris's debate practice Hillicon Valley: FBI, DHS warn that foreign hackers will likely spread disinformation around election results | Social media platforms put muscle into National Voter Registration Day | Trump to meet with Republican state officials on tech liability shield MORE (D).

Sanders, who served as press secretary to Bernie Sanders’s 2016 presidential campaign and is now a senior adviser to the Biden campaign, responded on Twitter Thursday to a Politico report that she donated to the 37-year-old mayor’s presidential campaign in March.

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“I also donated to [former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián] Castro and [New York Sen. Kirsten] Gillibrand because I believed then and do now that they all should have their shot on the debate stage,” Sanders tweeted. “Lots of folks donated to a lot of campaigns for this very same reason. Couldn’t be happier to be on #TeamBiden.”

Lol yes. I also donated to Castro and Gillibrand because I believed then and do now that they all should have their shot on the debate stage. Lots of folks donated to a lot of campaigns for this very same reason. Couldn’t be happier to be on #TeamBiden https://t.co/dphwT2VuUA — Symone D. Sanders (@SymoneDSanders) April 25, 2019

Per rules set by the Democratic National Committee, candidates in the crowded 2020 presidential primary will qualify for debates if they have at least 1 percent support in three qualifying polls or have received at least $65,000 in individual donations from at least 200 donors in at least 20 states.

A BuzzFeed News analysis published earlier this month found that about 1,600 donors to Democratic presidential candidates gave more than $200 to multiple candidates. For example, nearly 200 donors gave to both Buttigieg and Sen. Kamala Harris Kamala HarrisHarris faces pivotal moment with Supreme Court battle Nearly 40 Democratic senators call for climate change questions in debates Joe Biden has long forgotten North Carolina: Today's visit is too late MORE (D-Calif.).

Sanders, 29, was confirmed to be joining Biden’s campaign Thursday, the same day the former vice president made his bid official. She confirmed her hiring on Twitter as well, writing: “Over the course of this campaign, Vice President Biden is going to make his case to the American [people]."

CNN, where Sanders has served as a contributor since 2016, confirmed she would not continue in that role.