
Democratic presidential candidates got into a series of angry and personal exchanges at Tuesday night's debate in Charleston – with Bernie Sanders attacking Mike Bloomberg for being a billionaire, Bloomberg labeling Sanders as Vladimir Putin's favorite and a trio of candidates blasting Bloomberg for his 'racist' stop-and-frisk policy.

It was the kind of full-on circular firing squad that commentators had warned might be coming in South Carolina, with Joe Biden's 'firewall' claims on the line and Sanders having the potential to pad his delegate lead in the rush to Super Tuesday.

The debate featured chaotic exchanges where multiple candidates sought to talk over each other, with CBS moderators Norah O'Donnell and Gayle King losing all control of the discussion about 40 minutes into the debate, either failing to referee or being completely ignored by the over-eager candidates.

Candidates flouted 75-second response times, cut each other off, and yelled out retorts out of turn. 'Not true,' interjected Sanders when Amy Klobuchar questioned how he'll pay for his programs. 'Can I say something?' pleaded hedge funder Tom Steyer later in the heated exchange. 'Let me go,' he demanded.

'Excuse me, can I respond to the attack?' Sanders inquired when Pete Buttigieg went after him. 'Listen to the moderator, guys,' Sanders schooled the group. 'Hello?' chimed in Biden.

Then the former vice president complained when he finally got called on. 'Whoa. Whoa. Whoa,' he said. 'I guess the only way you do this is jump in and speak twice as long as you should.' Later, he boiled over and announced he would defy the unenforced rules. 'I'm not out of time. You spoke over time and I'm going to talk,' Biden said.

Sanders proved to be the Democrat to take down, as he joined his six primary rivals - including Biden, Bloomberg, Pete Buttigieg, Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar and Steyer - onstage at Charleston's Gaillard Center.

Democratic presidential candidates got into a series of angry and personal exchanges at Tuesday night's debate in Charleston – with Bernie Sanders attacking Mike Bloomberg for being a billionaire

The candidates repeatedly talked over each other – with CBS moderators losing all control of the discussion about 40 minutes into the debate

Moderators Gayle King and Norah O'Donnell quickly lost control with the candidates shouting over another. Once the candidates wrapped up, O'Donnell tried to shut down the debate prematurely, but King had to quickly correct her, saying it wasn't quite over yet

Bloomberg quickly labeled Sanders as Vladimir Putin's favorite and a trio of candidates blasted Bloomberg for his 'racist' stop-and-frisk policy while he was mayor of New York City

At various points, the crowd loudly booed the notion of billionaires, which includes candidates Bloomberg and Tom Steyer

The debate in South Carolina on Tuesday night kicked off at 8pm, as candidates (l-r) Mike Bloomberg, Pete Buttigieg, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden, Amy Klobuchar and Tom Steyer took the stage. It was the kind of full-on circular firing squad that commentators had warned might be coming, where Sanders' rise is being put to the test in a diverse state

Warren attacked Sanders early, saying his plan doesn't show 'how to get' to universal health care like hers does.

'I dug in. I did the work. And then Bernie's team trashed me for it,' she vented.

With South Carolina's primary just four days away, candidates who might have needed break-out performances didn't get them.

Sanders avoided enduring an all-out pile-on, despite having a path to the nomination that would only accelerate with a strong showing here and on Super Tuesday. He was put on the defensive several times for his socialist background, the cost of his programs, and his statements about left-wing leaders. Sanders got to explain that the greatest misconception about him 'is that the ideas I'm talking about are radical.'

Biden, who predicted a win in South Carolina, delivered forceful defenses of his record, tied himself to Barack Obama, and avoided serious stumbles.

No longer the front-runner, he was forced to plead for time from the moderators. He won laughs when he was one of the few to honor a time limit. 'Why am I stopping? No one else stops. Catholic school training,' he quipped.

Bloomberg performed better than when he got pummeled in Las Vegas, but some of his remarks fell flat, as when he took a stab at a self-deprecating joke.

'I really am surprised that all of these, my fellow contestants up here I guess would be the right word for it... I'm surprised they show up because I would've thought after I did such a good job in beating him last week that they'd be a little afraid to do that,' Bloomberg said, in a remark that didn't play in the room.

Klobuchar was mostly on the sidelines, though she kept up her argument that she is 'Donald Trump's worst nightmare' and that the party doesn't want a nominee who proposes $60 trillion in new spending.

Buttigieg kept his cool, but wasn't a major player in many of the most dramatic exchanges. He said he would raise taxes on billionaires, needled Bloomberg by saying he released his own tax returns, and made the case against Sanders' electability.

Joe Biden, who said he intends to win in South Carolina, blasted Sanders for voting against the Brady bill gun control measure, and referenced the Charleston church shootings

Bloomberg drew fire for stop-and-frisk, a policy he has apologized for in stark terms despite thousands of arrests during his tenure as New York City mayor

Since New Hampshire primary night, which Biden left the Granite State for to instead kick off campaigning in South Carolina, Biden has argued that the states that truly matter are the ones that have a more diverse population, which reflect the makeup of the Democratic Party

Proving to be the night's punching bag, Sanders was slammed and accused of being backed by Putin, unelectable and divisive.

Sanders got the first question in recognition of his new status as the favorite to become the party's candidate. He was asked by CBS News' Norah O'Donnell how he could justify being a socialist at a time of booming employment.

The Vermont senator quickly pivoted and attacked Bloomberg, saying that the economy was only doing well for 'billionaires,' but the former New York mayor was ready with a dig of his own.

Bloomberg said: 'I think that Donald Trump thinks it would be better if he's president. I do not think so.

'Vladimir Putin thinks that Donald Trump should be president of the United States. And that's why Russia is helping you get elected, so you will lose to him.'

Sanders shot back: 'Oh, Mr. Bloomberg. Let me tell Mr. Putin, OK, I'm not a good friend of President Xi of China. I think President Xi is an authoritarian leader.

'And let me tell Mr. Putin, who interfered in the 2016 election, try to bring Americans against Americans, hey, Mr. Putin, if I'm president of the United States, trust me, you're not going to interfere in any more American elections.'

A question to Bloomberg about his past comments that China's Xi Jinping wasn't a dictator provoked a vigorous exchange about authoritarianism – and Sanders' past positive comments about Fidel Castro's Cuba and other left-leaning regimes.

'We have to deal with China if we're ever going to solve the climate crisis,' said Bloomberg, who made billions through his global media and financial company.

'He does serve at the behest of the Politburo,' Bloomberg said, defending Xi's political accountability.

'They must play by the rules, period, period, period,' said Biden, who Republicans immediately accused of being soft on China.

'I have opposed authoritarianism,' said Sanders, defending comments running through his career about Cuba, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Russia, and Venezuela.

'But who the hell is the Politburo responsive to?' Sanders continued. 'What I said is what Barack Obama said in terms of Cuba,' Sanders insisted, defending his comments that Cuba had a 'massive literacy program' under Castro.

At various points, the crowd loudly booed the notion of billionaires, which includes candidates Bloomberg and Tom Steyer, with estimated personal fortunes of $60 billion and $1.6 billion, respectively

There were angry exchanges early-on in the debate between Bloomberg and Warren, who brought up a woman who sued his media company, Bloomberg LP, and reached a settlement after claiming Bloomberg told her to 'kill it' after she informed him she was pregnant

'Never said that!' Bloomberg exclaimed. 'Oh, come on!' From there the conversation turned back to Bloomberg's company's previous use of non-disclosure agreements, something that Warren hammered him for on the debate stage last week in Las Vegas. It was 'probably wrong to make the jokes, I don't remember what they were, but if it bothered them, I was wrong and I apologize and I'm sorry for that'

At various points, the crowd loudly booed at the notion of billionaires, which includes candidates Bloomberg and Tom Steyer

'Really? Really?' Biden responded, saying Obama had merely been acknowledging Cuban gains while speaking overseas.

'Authoritarianism of any stripe is bad,' said Sanders. 'But that is different than saying the governments occasionally do things that are good.'

Buttigieg issued a warning about running a candidate with 'nostalgia for the revolutionary politics of the 1960s.'

The blows went in all directions.

Biden, who said he intends to win in South Carolina, blasted Sanders for voting against the Brady bill gun control measure and referenced the Charleston church shootings.

The city is still grieving from the 2015 killings at Mother Emanuel AME Baptist Church when gunman Dylann Roof entered the church and gunned down nine members of the congregation.

'Bernie voted five times against the Brady bill ... I'm not saying he's responsible for the nine deaths, but... [Roof] would not have been able to get that weapon with the waiting period' of the Brady bill, Biden said.

Biden is trying to gain back lost ground after coming in fourth place in Iowa and fifth place in New Hampshire. He then came in a distant second to Sanders in Saturday's Nevada caucuses.

Sanders later attacked former South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg for accepting contributions from billionaires.

'I can't allow this to stand because it's just untrue,' the former South Bend mayor shot back. He said he got more money out of 2,000 small contributors in Charleston than he did from bigwigs.

The early hits on Sanders, who has called himself the frontrunner, followed last week's Las Vegas debate, which featured a multi-candidate pile-on on Bloomberg.

Asked directly by O'Donnell if Bloomberg's use of stop-and-frisk in New York was racist, Klobuchar answered: 'Yes'. Buttigieg, who has been criticized for failing to attract black supporters, agreed the policy was racist

Joe Biden, who said he intends to win in South Carolina, blasted Sanders for voting against the Brady bill gun control measure, and referenced the Charleston church shootings. 'Bernie voted five times against the Brady bill ... I'm not saying he's responsible for the nine deaths, but that would not have been able to get that weapon with the waiting period' of the Brady bill, Biden said

Democratic frontrunner Bernie Sanders became an instant punching bag for his presidential rivals on Tuesday night as they lined up to slam him at the debate before the South Carolina primary – accusing him of being backed by Vladimir Putin, unelectable and divisive

There were angry exchanges early-on in Tuesday's debate between Bloomberg and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who brought up a woman who sued his media company, Bloomberg LP, and reached a settlement after claiming Bloomberg told her to 'kill it' after she informed him she was pregnant.

'Never said that!' Bloomberg exclaimed. 'Oh, come on!'

From there the conversation turned back to Bloomberg's company's previous use of non-disclosure agreements, something that Warren hammered him for on the debate stage last week in Las Vegas.

On Friday, Bloomberg announced that he would release three female former employees from NDAs that were specifically about complaints made about Bloomberg, as he's been accused of making insensitive jokes.

It was 'probably wrong to make the jokes, I don't remember what they were, but if it bothered them, I was wrong and I apologize and I'm sorry for that,' Bloomberg said on Tuesday night.

Nevertheless, Warren persisted, continuing to go after Bloomberg for the NDAs.

'I don't know what else she wants us to do,' Bloomberg said. 'The trouble is with this senator, enough is never enough.'

He added: 'I never said it, period, end of story. Categorically never said it. When I was accused of doing it, we couldn't figure out what she was talking about.

'But right now I'm sorry if she heard what she thought she heard, whatever happened, but I didn't take pleasure in any of that.'

Bloomberg continued to draw fire for stop-and-frisk, a policy he has apologized for in stark terms despite thousands of arrests during his tenure.

Asked directly by O'Donnell if Bloomberg's use of stop-and-frisk in New York was racist, Klobuchar answered: 'Yes.'

Warren went straight for Sanders at the start of the debate, saying she would be a better president than him because she'll be able to get more progressive policies passed. She said she's 'dug in' when it comes to fighting big banks and actually explaining how she'd enact universal health care

Biden said he would also go after those trying to gentrify neighborhoods traditionally occupied by minority residents. Following up on Biden's comments, Steyer said he would work toward trying to 'correct injustice' in the loan service industry. He then launched into his common campaign trail theme of arguing his support for a conversation on reparations

The early hits on Sanders, who has called himself the frontrunner, followed last week's Las Vegas debate, which featured a multi-candidate pile-on on Bloomberg

Buttigieg, who has been criticized for failing to attract black supporters, agreed the policy was racist.

'I am conscious of the fact that there's seven white people on this stage talking about racial justice,' he added, in the first primary state where African-Americans make up a big share of the electorate.

Since the New Hampshire primary, which Biden left to instead kick off campaigning in South Carolina, Biden has argued that the states that truly matter are the ones that have a more diverse population, which reflect the makeup of the Democratic Party.

But in Nevada, the Latino population propelled Sanders to an overwhelming victory, as he bested Biden by 26.6. points, with 100 percent reporting.

Now Biden is looking to black voters in South Carolina to keep him in the race. On Tuesday, he declared that he's the candidate best situated to appeal to black voters, citing his commitment to equitable wealth creation and housing opportunities.

Biden said he would also go after those trying to gentrify neighborhoods traditionally occupied by minority residents.

It follows his Monday roll out of a $640 billion national housing policy, which would prevent mortgage servers from foreclosing during loan modification and set up a timely notification system for such changes.

Following up on Biden's comments, Steyer said he would work toward trying to 'correct injustice' in the loan service industry.

He then launched into his common campaign trail theme of arguing his support for a conversation on reparations and the creation of a commission to study race relations in America.

As the debate clock wound down, the candidates were asked by CBS This Morning host Gayle King to name the biggest misconception about themselves - and to state their personal motto.

Biden took the opportunity to pander more to black South Carolina voters.

As the debate clock wound down, the candidates were asked by CBS This Morning host Gayle King to name the biggest misconception about themselves - and to state their personal motto

Bloomberg used the opportunity to turn one of Trump's favorite insults against him - that he's short - into a joke. 'The misconception is that I'm six-feet tall,' the ex-mayor said. Given the same opportunity, Klobuchar argued that she wasn't boring

Once the candidates wrapped up, moderator Norah O'Donnell tried to shut down the debate prematurely. 'That concludes our debate,' O'Donnell told the audience. King then had to correct her, saying it wasn't quite over yet. 'No, we have time for one more break,' King said. 'Times flies when you're having fun,' she said, as the debate truly ended after the next commercial break

'I'm looking forward to making sure there's a black woman on the Supreme Court,' he said, which was a segue from him talking about his embrace of equality. 'And no one is better than me and I'm not better than anybody else.'

He cracked a joke about his receded hairline when asked what his biggest misconception is. 'I have more hair than I think I do,' he said.

Given the same opportunity, Klobuchar argued that she wasn't boring, while Warren said she actually eats - a lot.

'In fact, I eat all the time,' Warren said, adding, 'because I get teased about this,' if the comment seemed to come out of thin air.

Buttigieg used the opportunity to tell the audience he is indeed passionate. 'I get kind of level, some say I'm unflappable,' the 38-year-old said. 'I don't think you want a president who's flappable,' he added.

Steyer volunteered that 'everyday I write a cross on my hand to remind myself to tell the truth and do what's right, no matter what,' explaining that's his 'motto.'

Sanders stayed on brand. 'Misconception and you're hearing it here tonight is that ideas I'm talking about are radical. They're not. In one form or another they exist in countries all over the world,' the democratic socialist said.

He then quoted Nelson Mandela, 'Everything is impossible until it happens,' Sanders said.

Bloomberg used the opportunity to turn one of Trump's favorite insults against him - that he's short - into a joke.

'The misconception is that I'm six-feet tall,' the ex-mayor said.

Once the candidates wrapped up, moderator Norah O'Donnell tried to shut down the debate prematurely.

'That concludes our debate,' O'Donnell told the audience. King then had to correct her, saying it wasn't quite over yet.

'No, we have time for one more break,' King said. 'Times flies when you're having fun,' she said, as the debate truly ended after the next commercial break.

Joe Biden says he WILL win in South Carolina with the African-American vote making Saturday's primary a do-or-die - then talks about his 'friend' former segregationist Fritz Hollings

Joe Biden went all in on winning South Carolina on Tuesday night, saying he will secure victory there - then mentioned his friendship with one of the state's most infamous segregationists.

The former vice-president was just four points ahead of Bernie Sanders in the latest poll in the Palmetto state ahead of Saturday's primary.

He used the CBS News debate to say that he will win in South Carolina, by winning the African-American vote - meaning by extension that he will have to drop out if he loses.

But then he offered a potentially spectacular gaffe, talking about his friendship with Fritz Hollings, who was a committed segregationist Dixiecrat until he shifted his positions.

Joe Biden went all in on winning South Carolina on Tuesday night, saying he will secure victory there - then mentioned his friendship with one of the state's most infamous segregationists

Friends: Fritz Hollings was a segregationist in the Dixiecrat moved who 'evolved,' his friend Biden said at his 2019 funeral

Asked by moderator Gayle King about his ability to secure the black vote, which is critical in South Carolina, he said: 'I've earned the vote, I've worked like the devil to earn the vote of the African-American community, not just here but across the country.

'I've been coming here for years and years, creating jobs here, making sure that the port, for example, that employs one in 11 people, we put $500 million, in our administration, just into this county.

'We've created jobs for people. The people know me. My entire career has been wrapped up in dealing with civil rights and civil liberties. I don't expect anything. I plan to earn the vote.

'I'm here to ask. I'm here to earn it. But, folks, I intend to win in South Carolina, and I will win the African-American vote here in South Carolina.'

King then asked: 'Mr. Biden, will you continue if you do not win South Carolina? You have said that South Carolina will determine the outcome of this presidential race. If you don't win South Carolina, will you continue in this race?'

He replied: 'I will win South Carolina.'

But later in the debate he raised Hollings' name - an echo of a string of gaffes in which he was hammered for speaking about his friendship with segregationist senators, Mississippi's James Eastland and Georgia's Herman Talmadge.

Making an appearance ahead of the debate was Reverend's Jesse Jackson (left) and Al Sharpton (right). Remarking on the performances during Las Vegas' debate last week, Sharpton said it was overall lackluster and he couldn't see anyone beating Trump at the moment because no candidate was taking charge

Biden has been counting on strong support among African-American voters in South Carolina to recharge his flagging campaign

A climate change activist dressed as a polar bear demonstrates while Trump supporter in a MAGA hat is interviewed outside of the Charleston Gaillard Center

'Look, a guy who's a friend of mine down here named Fritz Hollings - he passed away - he said, you want to know what a woman will do, look what they have done. Look what they have done,' he said.

Hollings' biography is more complicated than other Dixiecrats.

He was South Carolina governor from 1959 to 1963 and a vocal backer of keeping segregation in place when he was a member of the state's House.

He was elected to the Senate in 1966 and became a close friend of Biden when the 29-year-old ran for the upper chamber, helping him when he lost his first wife and daughter in a car crash.

Biden eulogized Hollings at his funeral in April 2019, a week before his entry into the race, and said: 'People can change.

'We can learn from the past and build a better future.'