Clinton won’t commit to backing Sanders

Hillary Clinton refused to say whether she would endorse Bernie Sanders, her 2016 rival, if he wins the Democratic nomination and offered a broad condemnation of the progressive candidate’s style of politics.

“I’m not going to go there yet,” she said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter published on Tuesday in response to whether she’d back Sanders. “We’re still in a very vigorous primary season. I will say, however, that it’s not only him, it’s the culture around him. It’s his leadership team. It’s his prominent supporters. It’s his online Bernie Bros and their relentless attacks on lots of his competitors, particularly the women.”

She added: “I really hope people are paying attention to that because it should be worrisome that he has permitted this culture — not only permitted, (he) seems to really be very much supporting it.”

Her comments ripped open the scars of the brutal 2016 primary battle between Sanders and Clinton just as Democrats are poised to begin voting on their next nominee. It could also energize Sanders loyalists who believed the Democratic establishment rigged the 2016 primary in Clinton’s favor. That could be especially helpful with the Iowa caucuses less than two weeks away and Sanders working to establish a clear lead in a top tier that includes former Vice President Joe Biden, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Ind.

Sanders, like other senators who are running for president, was in Washington on Tuesday to participate in President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial. In a statement, Sanders said, “Together, we are going to go forward and defeat the most dangerous president in American history.”