Warren criticizes Buttigieg over Swarovski crystal-encrusted wine cave fundraiser

Show Caption Hide Caption Democratic debate closes out 2019 in Los Angeles, California Seven Democratic hopefuls took the stage for the final primary debate of 2019, at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California.

South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg caught some heat during Thursday night's Democratic primary debate after he recently held a fundraiser at a wine cave owned by billionaires.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., was the first candidate of the night to hit Buttigieg for the Napa Valley fundraiser hosted for his campaign on Sunday. Photos from the event showed a chandelier with 1,500 Swarovski crystals.

"We made the decision many years ago that rich people in smoke-filled rooms would not pick the next president of the United States," Warren said. "Billionaires in wine caves should not pick the next president of the United States."

Buttigieg, however, said that he was the only candidate on stage that is not a millionaire or a billionaire.

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"This is the problem with issuing purity tests you cannot yourself pass," the mayor said, adding that Democrats cannot afford to turn any donors or supporters away in order to get as many resources as necessary to defeat President Donald Trump.

Warren over the past couple of weeks began criticizing Buttigieg without naming him after he began rising in the polls in the early primary states of Iowa and New Hampshire, even edging his way into first place in Iowa.

At the debate, Warren also called on Buttigieg to swear off fundraising events like the wine cave event. But Buttigieg said she brought money to her 2020 presidential campaign from previous campaigns when she held similar events.

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Warren wasn't the only one criticizing Buttigieg's recent fundraising event. Yang said the country needs to change how campaign finance works so "they don’t have to go shake the money tree in the wine cave."

U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, twin brother to presidential candidate Julián Castro, who is not on Thursday's debate stage, asked: "Did you all talk about the poor in that Silicon Valley wine cave?" on Twitter.

.@PeteButtigieg Did you all talk about the poor in that Silicon Valley wine cave? — Joaquin Castro (@Castro4Congress) December 20, 2019

Ahead of the debate, Bernie Sanders’ top strategist Jeff Weaver wore a shirt promoting a "PetesWineCave.com," a website that goes to a donation page for Sanders' campaign.