Bernie Sanders in 2016 FactCheck

On Corporations: Regrets vote to deregulate swaps and derivatives

Hillary Clinton said, "I'm the only one on this stage who did not vote to deregulate swaps and derivatives, as Senator Sanders did, which led to a lot of the problems that we had with Lehman Brothers." Did Bernie Sanders vote to deregulate swaps & derivatives? Bustle.com says:

"Clinton's claim is unavoidably true. In 2000, Sanders voted for the Commodity Futures Modernization Act. The act prevented the government from regulating credit default swaps and the trading of financial derivatives. Swaps like these, which are a type of financial derivative, were largely vilified during the financial meltdown of 2008. Sanders was far from the only Democrat who voted for the bill. It passed the House by a wide margin: Only four representatives did not vote for it. Not to mention, Clinton's husband, then-president Bill Clinton, supported the bill and signed it into law."

Bernie now says he regrets that vote, but Hillary was accurate.

Source: OnTheIssues FactCheck: 2016 Dem. primary debate in Brooklyn Apr 15, 2016

On Gun Control: FactCheck: No, never supported by National Rifle Association

Hillary Clinton said about Bernie Sanders, "in his own book, he talks about his 1990 campaign, and here's what he said: He clearly was helped by the NRA, because they ran ads against his opponent." Is that true? We dug up the relevant section of Sanders' book:

"In 1988, the NRA had supported [my Republican opponent Peter] Smith and had opposed me [partly because] I supported a ban on certain types of assault weapons. A few months after taking office, Smith suddenly announced that he would vote FOR the ban on assault weapons. The NRA was furious at his about-face. While the NRA has never endorsed me or given me a nickel, their efforts against Smith in 1988 clearly helped my candidacy."So Hillary is TECHNICALLY accurate, but Bernie was only "helped" by the NRA campaigning against his opponent, and not for him--because he opposed the NRA's desired stance too! And Bernie was never financially supported by the NRA at all!

Source: OnTheIssues FactCheck: 2016 Dem. primary debate in Brooklyn Apr 15, 2016

On War & Peace: Qatar is wealthy; needs to get skin in game against ISIS

Sen. Sanders asserted about fighting ISIS, "You have incredibly wealthy countries in that region, countries like Qatar. Qatar happens to be the largest -- wealthiest country per capita in the world. They have got to start putting in some skin in the game and not just ask the United States to do it." Is that true? That Qatar is the wealthiest country in the world, in terms of individual income?

We checked and indeed it's true. Comparing three different rating systems--the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, and the CIA--all three agree that Qatar has the highest per capita income in the world. Those three rating agencies don't agree on the exact income levels for other countries, but the United States is rated, respectively, the 9th, 10th, and 12th wealthiest country in the world.

Our rating: Yes, Sanders is correct that the U.S. is funding the defense expenses of a country wealthier than the U.S.

Source: OnTheIssues FactCheck on 2016 NBC Democratic debate Jan 17, 2016

The above quotations are from Fact-checking on 2016 presidential, gubernatorial, and Senate campaigns. Click here for other excerpts from Fact-checking on 2016 presidential, gubernatorial, and Senate campaigns. Click here for other excerpts by Bernie Sanders. Click here for a profile of Bernie Sanders.
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Page last updated: Dec 08, 2018