Claire McCaskill's swipe at Sanders, Warren ignore fact she accepted their PAC money, fundraising efforts
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Missouri Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill floated the names of Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders when talking about “crazy Democrats”.
But that's despite her history of accepting their PAC money or asking for support.
The vulnerable senator, who is facing a tough challenge from Republican state Attorney General Josh Hawley, tried to distance herself from the progressive side of the Democratic Party in a last-ditch attempt to save her political career amid the upcoming election.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}MCCASKILL SWIPES AT WARREN, SANDERS WHEN ASKED ABOUT 'CRAZY DEMOCRATS'
McCaskill mentioned Warren and Sanders after being asked about her recent ad declaring her “not one of those crazy Democrats” that prompted questions who is she referring to.
“I would not call my colleagues crazy, but Elizabeth Warren sure went after me when I advocated tooling back some of the regulations for small banks and credit unions,” McCaskill told Fox News on Monday, also pointing out that she disagrees with Sanders “on a bunch of stuff.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I would not call my colleagues crazy, but Elizabeth Warren sure went after me."
But McCaskill’s newfound opposition to Sanders and Warren – whom she once called “strong, smart, and focused” – overlooks that she accepted Warren’s PAC money, let her send fundraising emails on her behalf, and pleaded help from “Bernie supporters.”
According to FEC records, Warren’s leadership PAC called “PAC for a Level Playing Field,” which raised nearly $600,000 this election cycle and spent $1.5 million, donated $10,000 in total to McCaskill’s campaign. The two donations - $5,000 each – were made in 2017.
This wasn’t the only help McCaskill received from Warren. Fox News obtained a fundraising email sent by the Massachusetts senator touting the senator from Missouri as a “fighter” and urging to donate to her campaign.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“With only 48 members of the Senate Democratic Caucus, we’re hanging on by our fingernails. We don’t have the numbers to stop every bad bill or every bad nominee. And if we lose fighters like Claire McCaskill in 2018, our power to fight back gets tougher and tougher,” Warren's fundraising email read.
"If we lose fighters like Claire McCaskill in 2018, our power to fight back gets tougher and tougher."
In an audio recording posted last year by the state Republican Party, McCaskill also pleaded for the supporters of Sanders to help her campaign.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“All of you who are Bernie supporters... I need you. I want you. I want to talk to you. I want you to be part of our effort,” she is heard saying in a recording from a private event, the Hill reported. “We can't get divided in a state like Missouri, or we're cooked,” she added.
The McCaskill campaign did not respond to Fox News' request for a comment.
According to recent polls, McCaskill’s Republican opponent is leading the race within the margin of error. Fox News’ 2018 Midterm Power Rankings deem the race a “tossup.”