Sen. Bernie Sanders: I'm not a bad boss

Sen. Bernie Sanders said he demands a lot of himself and his staff, but he said that doesn't mean he's an angry or abusive boss.

Speaking to The Des Moines Register's editorial board Thursday, Sanders responded to a story published by the Vermont alternative weekly newspaper Seven Days last week that took aim at the senator's leadership style. The story, titled "Anger Management" in the print edition, cited unnamed previous employees and characterized Sanders as a "rude, short-tempered and, occasionally, downright hostile" boss.

"Though Sanders has spent much of his life fighting for working Vermonters, they say he mistreats the people working for him," the story read.

On Thursday, the candidate for the Democratic nomination for president said he took offense with the story.

"Where did you get that information from?" Sanders asked Des Moines Register opinion editor Lynn Hicks. "You got it from one article written by one person, who quoted four anonymous people."

Having employed hundreds of people throughout his three decades in politics, Sanders said "four anonymous people" painted an unfair picture.

"Yes, I do work hard. Yes, I do demand a lot of the people who work with me. Yes, some people have left who were not happy. But I would say that by and large in my Senate office, in my House office, on my campaigns, the vast majority of people who have worked with me considered that to be a very, very good experience, and a learning experience and have gone on to do some great things," the Vermont senator said. "So I don't agree with that. That is one article written by one person who is not my strongest supporter and had to dig up four anonymous sources."

"You think we can get four anonymous sources to say that you may not be the best employer in the world?" Sanders asked Register opinion writers and editors.

Paul Heintz, the Seven Days political editor who wrote the story, defended the piece.

"Seven Days stands by the story, which was deeply sourced and informed by years of reporting on Sen. Sanders," he said. "Our news team's job is to cover all aspects of Sanders' presidential candidacy — from his decades-long record in Vermont to the massive rallies he's holding these days — and we'll continue doing that."

Sanders pointed out that interns in his Senate office make $12 an hour, which he said is the highest of any Senate office. He also pointed to staffers in the room with decades of experience working for him.

"Anybody who hires hundreds of people, including The Des Moines Register, will have folks saying, 'you're terrible, you're not a good employer.' Right? That happens," Sanders said. "I work people hard. I work hard. In this campaign we are going to work very, very hard. Not everybody is comfortable with that, but I have no apologies for my relationships with my staff. None."