Millionaire Sen. Bernie Sanders once called millionaire senators ‘immoral’

Gage Skidmore/Wikimedia Commons

According to tax returns, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders reported earning an adjusted gross income of $1,062,626 in 2016, $1,131,925 in 2017 and $561,293 in 2018.

By Molly Prince

Democratic presidential candidate and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders stated while campaigning in 1971 that it is “immoral” that members of Congress are millionaires, according to a local newspaper article uncovered by CNN’s KFile.

Sanders told the Bennington Banner, a regional daily newspaper, he believes that the millionaires who purport to represent the people actually represent the interests of “their fellow millionaires,” which he asserts are “corporations and big business.”

Interestingly, the self-proclaimed Democratic socialist released 10 years of his tax returns in April, confirming his status in the millionaire class. The disclosure reported earning an adjusted gross income of $1,062,626 in 2016, $1,131,925 in 2017 and $561,293 in 2018.

While Sanders is a frequent critic of millionaires, he defended his six-figure income to The New York Times.

“I wrote a best-selling book,” Sanders said. “If you write a best-selling book, you can be a millionaire, too.”

“Yes, it is true,” Josh Orton, Sanders’s campaign spokesman, told CNN. “Senator Sanders said in the 1970s that it is immoral that the government too often represents the interests of the super-wealthy and large corporations — and yes, it is also true that Senator Sanders has continued to demand a change from that for his entire life.”

“As the son of an immigrant who grew up living paycheck to paycheck, Senator Sanders believes elected officials should represent the interests of working people, not corporations, special interests or the ultra-wealthy,” Orton continued. “This view has guided his work in politics, not the pursuit of personal wealth. Senator Sanders’ family has been fortunate, and he is grateful for that because he knows the stress of economic insecurity. That is why he works every day to ensure every American has the basic necessities of life, including a livable wage, decent housing, health care and retirement security.”

Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities for this original content, email licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

Images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons/Phil Roeder and Gage Skidmore/Wikimedia Commons

7 thoughts on “Millionaire Sen. Bernie Sanders once called millionaire senators ‘immoral’

  1. There are people in need, yet Bernie won’t even lead by example in paying his 50% millionaire tax himself. This is how socialism rolls, the leaders in government get the really good jobs, everybody else gets rationed pay.

    We’ll raise base pay for cooking French Fries to $30,000 per year and well tax anyone making more than 45k to pay for all these free programs So pretty much everybody is getting squeezed ,but for Bernie.

    It’s amazing what can be done and what people can be convinced of with a compliant and propagandized press. Don’t think too deep, just believe what you are told innocent, naïve citizen. Vote for Uncle Bernie and everything will be free. Seriously think about that one.

    And it matters not if he wins, he’ll win monetarily by losing, but don’t expect him to live by his own rules!

  2. used to be a millionaire was someone with assets of $1,000,000. Bernie has been a millionaire for a long time.

    Bernie earns a$million in one year on a book ?ghost written?,, pays 30% in tax and gives 1% to charity.

    If Joe Blow invents a wonderful gadget, hires 50 people to make it, sells a million and makes $1 each piece for himself, and gives 10% donations. Then Bernie also wants a 50% tax, so that again Bernie gets to spend it – as a socialist.

  3. I wonder how many of those copy’s of burnees “commie for dummies” books were actually bought
    by individuals? Most of these Lefty book deals get bulk buys by the likes of a Soros and stuffed
    in a warehouse to be forgotten. If that is the case then burnee is exactly the slime he purports
    others to be, a paid hack of the golobalist criminal sorass.. or who ever bought the bulk of his
    money maker books..

    Since burnees never done/accomplished ANYTHING other then live off the government Teat I already put him in the “slime” catagory from the time he left the park bench in burlington to waste space in government.

Comments are closed.