Sanders Apologizes to Biden After Surrogate Writes Op-Ed Claiming He Has a ‘Big Corruption Problem’
“It is absolutely not my view that Joe is corrupt in any way. And I’m sorry that that op-ed appeared,” Sanders said.

Scott Olson/Getty
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) apologized to former Vice President Joe Biden after one of his campaign surrogates wrote an op-ed alleging that Biden has a “big corruption problem.” “It is absolutely not my view that Joe is corrupt in any way. And I’m sorry that that op-ed appeared,” Sanders told CBS News on Monday evening. The op-ed, written by law professor Zephyr Teachout and published in The Guardian, claims that Biden “has perfected the art of taking big contributions, then representing his corporate donors at the cost of middle- and working-class Americans.” “It is the kind of transactional politics Americans have come to loathe,” Teachout wrote. Earlier Monday, the Sanders campaign sent out a “Bern Notice” email circulating the op-ed, according to NBC News. CBS News reports that Teachout does not officially work for the Sanders campaign but that she has stumped, introduced, and endorsed him. The op-ed came after Biden accused the Sanders campaign of releasing a “doctored” video that shows him in support of cutting Social Security this weekend, though there was no evidence to support that claim. Late Monday night, Biden acknowledged Sanders’ apology, tweeting, “Thanks for acknowledging this, Bernie. These kinds of attacks have no place in this primary. Let’s all keep our focus on making Donald Trump a one-term president.”
Unlock a year of full access to The Looker and The Daily Beast for $35.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Looker and The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.
Sign in
Login dialog