Major Controversies Surrounding Bernie Sanders: A Detailed Timeline
Controversies are a part of history. Explore the biggest scandals linked to Bernie Sanders.
Bernard "Bernie" Sanders is a prominent American politician and activist currently serving as the senior U.S. Senator from Vermont. Notably, he holds the record for the longest tenure as an independent in U.S. Congressional history. While maintaining his independent status, Sanders has consistently aligned with the Democratic Party, caucusing with them in both the House and Senate throughout much of his career. He twice sought the Democratic presidential nomination, in 2016 and 2020, and is considered a leading figure in the modern American progressive movement due to his promotion of policies addressing economic inequality and social justice.
1990: Benefitting from NRA Opposition
In 1990, Sanders' bid to become a U.S. Representative benefitted from the National Rifle Association of America opposing the competing campaign of Peter Smith, who had reversed his stance on firearm restrictions.
1993: Voted against the Brady Bill
In 1993, Bernie Sanders voted against the Brady Bill, which mandated federal background checks when buying guns.
1993: Vote Against Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act
In 1993, while a U.S. representative, Sanders voted against the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act, which established background checks and wait periods for handgun purchases.
1996: Vote against CDC Funding for Firearms Research
In 1996, Sanders voted against additional funding to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for research on issues related to firearms.
June 2003: Criticized Alan Greenspan
In June 2003, Bernie Sanders criticized Federal Reserve chair Alan Greenspan, expressing concern that he was "way out of touch".
2005: Voted for Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act
In 2005, Bernie Sanders voted for the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, which aimed to prevent firearms manufacturers from being held liable for crimes committed with their products.
2005: Vote for Gun Manufacturer Legal Immunity
In 2005, Sanders voted for legislation that gave gun manufacturers legal immunity against claims of negligence.
2007: Helped kill immigration reform bill
In 2007, Sanders helped kill a bill introducing comprehensive immigration reform, arguing that its guest-worker program would depress wages for American workers.
September 2015: The New York Times ombudsman reviewed coverage of the Sanders campaign
In September 2015, The New York Times' ombudsman reviewed her paper's coverage of the Sanders campaign and found that the Times hadn't always taken it very seriously.
December 2015: Report found major networks spent significantly less time reporting on Sanders than on Trump
A December 2015 report found that the three major networks—CBS, NBC, and ABC—had spent 234 minutes reporting on Trump and 10 minutes on Sanders.
March 2016: Speeches of Trump, Clinton, Rubio, and Cruz broadcast, Sanders not mentioned
In March 2016, during Super Tuesday III, news outlets broadcast speeches of Trump, Clinton, Rubio, and Cruz in full, while omitting Sanders's speech in Phoenix, despite the rally being larger. The media promoted the narrative that the Democratic primary contest between Sanders and Clinton was "heating up" at that time, even though the delegate count suggested the primary was effectively over by mid-March 2016.
July 2016: DNC email leak reveals officials favored Clinton over Sanders
In July 2016, leaked DNC emails showed officials favored Clinton over Sanders, discussing making his irreligious tendencies a campaign issue and questioning his party loyalty. DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz criticized Sanders's campaign manager.
July 2016: DNC emails leaked showing favoritism toward Clinton
In July 2016, some of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) emails leaked to the public showed that the committee leadership had favored Clinton over Sanders.
2016: Support for Repealing Gun Manufacturer Legal Immunity
As of 2016, Sanders has said that he would support repealing the law that gave gun manufacturers legal immunity against claims of negligence.
2016: Hillary Clinton beat Donald Trump by 3 million votes
In 2016, Hillary Clinton beat Donald Trump by 3 million votes in the national popular vote.
2016: Sanders campaign volunteer contacted PAC to report suspicious activities
In 2016, a Sanders campaign volunteer contacted a PAC to report suspicious activities.
2016: Concern about Russian Interference in 2016 Election
In January 2018, Sanders voiced concern about Trump's failure to mention the finding that Russia had interfered in the 2016 election.
2016: Criticism of Russian Interference in US Elections
In September 2017, Sanders criticized Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. elections and the way President Trump has handled the crisis.
2017: Criticism of Republican Tax Cuts
Sanders strongly supported Senate Democrats' decision to use budget reconciliation to pass the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, despite having criticized Republicans' use of reconciliation to pass the 2017 tax cuts.
January 2018: Online Reply to Trump's State of the Union
In January 2018, Sanders gave an online reply to Trump's State of the Union address, calling Trump "compulsively dishonest" and criticizing him for initiating "a looming immigration crisis" by ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
February 2018: Mueller investigation concludes Russians interfered to help Sanders
In February 2018, the Mueller investigation concluded that Russians had communicated false information to help Sanders and Stein and harm Clinton. Sanders rejected this conclusion.
2018: Sanders allegedly told Warren that a woman could not win the election
In 2018, Sanders allegedly told Warren that a woman could not win the election
2018: Opposed Trump administration's federal budget
In 2018, Sanders opposed the United States federal budget proposed by the Trump administration, calling it "a budget for the billionaire class."
April 6, 2019: Sanders participates in Fox News town hall
On April 6, 2019, Sanders participated in a Fox News town hall that attracted more than 2.55 million viewers, surpassing the ratings of other Democratic candidates' town halls that year.
May 1, 2019: Tweet on China Trade Deal
On May 1, 2019, Sanders tweeted about the China trade deal he had voted against, stating that America had lost over three million manufacturing jobs since its implementation. He argued against the notion that China isn't a major economic competitor.
January 2020: Criticism of Soleimani Assassination
In January 2020, Sanders criticized the drone assassination of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, warning of a dangerous escalation that could lead to an expensive war.
2020: Criticism of AIPAC
In 2020, Sanders criticized the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), labeling it a platform for bigotry and declaring that he would not attend its conference.
2020: CNN hosts debate
In January 2020, CNN hosted the first debate with six candidates, leading to a contentious exchange between Sanders and Warren about a previous conversation.
January 6, 2021: Commentary on the Capitol Attack
On January 6, 2021, after Trump supporters attacked the United States Capitol, Sanders commented that Trump would "go down in history as the worst and most dangerous president in history" due to inciting violence and insurrection.
February 23, 2021: Opposition to Vilsack's Confirmation
On February 23, 2021, Sanders became the first senator in the Democratic caucus to oppose one of Biden's cabinet picks, voting against Tom Vilsack's confirmation as Agriculture Secretary due to concerns about Vilsack's past work as a lobbyist and ties to large corporations.
2024: Statement on Trump's Presidential Election Win
After Donald Trump won the 2024 presidential election, Sanders released a statement blaming the Democratic Party's abandonment of "working-class people" for its defeat.
