Vermont senator gets big applause at first Democratic presidential debate after backing Hillary Clinton over her controversial use of a private email server

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Bernie Sanders got his biggest applause of the night during Tuesday’s Democratic debate in Las Vegas when he came to Hillary Clinton’s defense over her use of a private email server, which has plagued her campaign for over six months.

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“I think the secretary of state is right, the American people are sick and tired about hearing about your damn emails,” Sanders said to hoots and cheers from the audience, after CNN moderator Anderson Cooper pushed Clinton on the ongoing scandal.

He concluded by saying: “Enough of the emails – let’s talk about the real issues facing the American people.”

Sanders chimed in after Clinton was put on the defensive by Cooper. The former secretary of state initially responded by saying: “I’ve taken responsibility for it. I’d say it was a mistake. What we did was allowed by State Department but wasn’t the best choice, I’ve been as transparent as I know to be.”

When Cooper pushed her on the email scandal, noting that Barack Obama said it was “a legitimate issue” in an interview on 60 Minutes on Sunday, Clinton insisted: “I never said it wasn’t legitimate.”

Former Rhode Island governor Lincoln Chafee did offer some mild criticism about Clinton’s trustworthiness in response. However, the Democratic frontrunner shrugged it off.

Asked if she would like to respond, Clinton simply said “no”, to laughs and applause.

Sanders’ campaign manager Jeff Weaver later told reporters the moment wasn’t planned, dubbing it “pure Bernie”.

“It was clearly the best line of the night,” he said while speaking with the media in the post-debate spin room.

Asked by the Guardian what it said about Sanders’ debate performance that his standout moment was defending Clinton, Weaver responded: “What’s wrong with that?”

“Bernie Sanders is an authentic candidate. He speaks the truth, he speaks his mind,” he said. “That’s what people love about him. He’s not canned or scripted.

“He strongly feels that we spend too much time talking about the emails and not about the real problems facing the American people and I think he expressed it quite well.”

Clinton, who is due to testify in Washington on 22 October before the House select committee on Benghazi, has faced questions about her use of a private email server to conduct official business since before announcing her campaign in April.