Getty Sanders slams Clinton for finance industry fundraiser

MASON CITY, Iowa — Bernie Sanders threw one of his most direct rhetorical punches yet at Hillary Clinton over her financial-industry ties on Wednesday night, telling a packed crowd, "My opponent is not in Iowa tonight. She is raising money from a Philadelphia investment firm."

After the crowd — jammed into a "Music Man"-themed hall — was done booing loudly, Sanders said, "Frankly, I'd rather be here with you."


Clinton has been barnstorming Iowa in recent days, and she canceled a pair of New York fundraisers set for Thursday in order to spend more time in the state campaigning. But she left the state on Wednesday for a campaign cash event hosted by Franklin Square Capital Partners and featuring a concert by Jon Bon Jovi.

Minutes after Sanders hit Clinton, her campaign sent out a press release describing her Wednesday-night meeting with African-American ministers in Philadelphia before the fundraiser.

While Sanders spoke, former President Bill Clinton was also hosting a rally across town in Mason City.

Sanders — who also left Iowa for a pair of rallies in Minnesota last night and a meeting with President Barack Obama in Washington this morning — repeatedly points out Clinton's proximity to Wall Street in his stump speech, usually noting her speaking fees from Goldman Sachs.

But Wednesday night's barb was sharper than most, and it riled up an excited crowd that saw actress Susan Sarandon introduce Sanders with a series of anti-Clinton jibes of her own.