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Sanders campaign: Clinton owes us an apology for 'lying' remark

Hillary Clinton owes Bernie Sanders’ campaign an apology, the campaign said Friday.

Clinton on Thursday accused Sanders’ camp of “lying,” alleging that his campaign has been claiming Clinton accepts money from the fossil fuel industry — a statement she forcefully rejected when confronted by an environmental activist.

“I think she probably owes the senator an apology for that because the senator is not lying about her record,” Sanders campaign manager Jeff Weaver told MSNBC. “He’s talking about her record. He’s talking about her practices. She obviously doesn’t like it, but that doesn’t make it lying because you don’t like it.”

Following a campaign event in New York, Clinton angrily wagged her finger at Eva Resnick-Day, a Greenpeace activist, as she rejected the notion that she accepts money from oil and gas companies. “I am so sick of the Sanders campaign lying about me,” she said.

In a statement released by the campaign following his MSNBC appearance, Weaver said it was “disappointing” that Clinton has accused them of something “that just isn’t true,” citing evidence from a Greenpeace report that says she accepts donations from industry lobbyists and bundlers.

“If the Clinton campaign wants to argue that industry lobbyists giving thousands of dollars to her campaign won’t affect her decisions if she’s elected, that’s fine,” Weaver said. “But to call us liars for pointing out basic facts about the secretary’s fundraising is deeply cynical and very disappointing.”

Weaver told MSNBC that Sanders is talking about the issues and called campaign finance a key matter in this election.

“What the Clinton campaign is cagey about — it doesn’t really wanna talk about — is the fact their super PAC gets money from people connected with fossil fuel industry,” Weaver said. “And it is the lobbyists, it is the fact that they have lobbyists from the fossil fuel industry — just like they have lobbyists from the banking industry, the drug companies and frankly now we find out the gun lobby — who are giving them money, right, who are bundling this money and giving it to them.”

“That’s the way it works in Washington, D.C.,” he added. “If you don’t take into account the fact that you have these guys running around bundling who are giving you $100,000; $200—$300,000, they’re gonna come knocking on the White House door the day after the election and say, ‘Hey, by the way.’”

Joel Benenson, a senior adviser to Clinton’s campaign, said Sanders’ camp has repeatedly accused Clinton of accepting money from the fossil fuel industry.

“She doesn’t. Neither does he,” Benenson told MSNBC. “Neither one of them takes money from the fossil fuel industry. Both of them have individuals who work in that industry and have given that money.”

According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Clinton has received more than $330,000 from donors with ties to the oil and gas industry, while Sanders has gotten more than $53,000. Accepting contributions directly from the industry would violate election law.

Greenpeace reports that Clinton has received more than $4.5 million in total from oil, gas and coal lobbyists, bundlers to her campaign and allied super PAC.

But Benenson argued that Clinton is the better candidate on climate change, remarking that she has an “admirable” record on environmental issues and has actually gotten results.

“The fact is on climate change, one candidate in this race and only one candidate led the effort to get countries like China, India and Brazil to the table to agree to limits on carbon pollution, which paved the way for a historic agreement on climate change in Paris in November,” Benenson said, referring to Clinton's effort during her time as secretary of state.