Getty Sanders on Clinton: 'We're not best friends, ya know, but I know her'

In an interview with Rolling Stone, Bernie Sanders downplayed his relationship with Hillary Clinton and portrayed her as a tool of the Democratic Party establishment.

“I say with utmost sincerity: I have known Hillary Clinton for 25 years. I knew her as first lady,” Sanders said. “We're not best friends, ya know, but I know her.”


Sanders went on to praise Clinton’s intelligence and experience, but said she is "not generating enthusiasm" in the Democratic presidential primary, where she leads him in most polls.

"She has very strong establishment support. But establishment support will take you only so far,” Sanders said.

Rolling Stone asked Sanders if Democrats might think twice about nominating a "progressive" like himself, when many on the left view Clinton as a stronger general election candidate.

“The answer is that progressives who think that are wrong. And I mean that very sincerely,” Sanders said. “Look up the polls for a start. The last polls that I saw — check 'em out; they're in the machine — will show you that Bernie Sanders does better against Trump than Hillary does. On many of the matchups, I do better, OK? That's just a fact.”

Sanders also said Clinton would not be tough enough on Wall Street.

“Why would you think she would? For a start, look at where Hillary Clinton has gotten her money and support in the past,” he said.

During the second Democratic debate last week, Sanders ripped into Clinton for her ties to the financial industry. Clinton defended her relationship with Wall Street by saying that the banking sector was hit hard on 9/11, a comment that drew ridicule from her rivals.

"I represented New York, and I represented New York on 9/11 when we were attacked," Clinton said during the debate. "Where were we attacked? We were attacked in downtown Manhattan where Wall Street is. I did spend a whole lot of time and effort helping them rebuild. That was good for New York."