Democratic presidential candidate and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, known for decrying corporate influence in politics, is now praising corporations for trying to influence politics by standing up against North Carolina’s controversial transgender bathroom law.
During an interview with Rachel Maddow on Wednesday, Sanders was asked how he feels about “big businesses” calling for the repeal of the North Carolina’s House Bill 2.
Maddow asked Sanders, “Do you think those businesses should butt out of those issues? Is it inappropriate for them to try to wield political influence even when they do it in a Progressive way?”
Sanders responded, “Well, you know, look. They have—when we look at politics in America, you have CEOs of major corporations who have children who are gay, who have friends who are gay, whose wives or daughters have had abortions. They live in the real world. And they’re responding to this type of very right-wing reactionary policies. And I understand that and I appreciate that.”
“When I talk about money in politics, what I talk about is the Koch brothers and billionaires spending hundreds of millions of dollars—along with Wall Street—to create a situation where politics, politicians will be elected who represent the wealthy and the powerful,” Sanders clarified.