Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) called former Clinton adviser and longtime Democratic operative James Carville a "political hack" Wednesday during an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper, responding to Carville's severe criticisms of Sanders' ability to win the presidency as a socialist.

"There's a certain part of the Democratic Party that wants us to be a cult," Carville said on MSNBC's "Morning Joe on Monday. "I'm not interested in being in a cult."

Sanders dismissed Carville as being a part of the Democratic establishment he is trying to defeat.

"Look—James, with all due respect, is a political hack who said very terrible things when he was working for Clinton against Barack Obama," Carville told Cooper after the host referenced Carville's concerns. "I think he said some of the same things. Look, we are taking on the establishment. This is no secret to anybody."

Carville endorsed Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet for the Democratic presidential nomination last month. Bennet hasn't qualified for a debate in months and earned less than 1% of the vote in New Hampshire before dropping out of the race.



Carville had predicted that Bennet would "surprise people" in New Hampshire, saying the senator was "uniquely suited" for the state, and that it was "historical fact that people like him do well there."

Sanders, meanwhile, won the New Hampshire primary and finished a close second to former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg in Iowa. Although Buttigieg earned more delegates, Sanders earned more raw votes in Iowa.

Carville's greatest domestic political accomplishment was helping then-Gov. Bill Clinton defeat incumbent President George H.W. Bush in 1992. Carville served as the "strategic dictator" on the campaign, implementing discipline and clear messaging focused on change, the economy, and health care.

Carville later served as an adviser to Hillary Clinton during her failed 2008 presidential bid, when she lost the nomination to Obama.