Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., is facing criticism for ditching pricey fundraising events just before her 2020 presidential campaign after she took a dig at South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg over his Napa Valley "wine cave" fundraiser, reports The Washington Post.
Buttigieg and Warren sparred over the issue of high-dollar fundraisers during Thursday's Democratic presidential debate in Iowa last Thursday.
Warren criticized Buttigieg over a fundraiser in a Napa Valley wine cave owned by billionaires. A bottle of wine cost $900 at the event.
A story in the Associated Press one day later revealed she held an event in June 2018 that charged people $2,700 for a photo, $1,000 for a souvenir wine bottle, and $100 to get in.
Warren embraced the fundraising program for nearly seven years but changed her tune last year. She defended herself Sunday during a campaign stop in Oklahoma City.
"When I first got into this presidential race, I said, 'I'm not doing these closed-door meetings. I'm not doing special call time and special access to people with money,'" Warren told reporters in Oklahoma City on Sunday night. "I'm going to run a grassroots campaign."
Rufus Gifford, former finance director for President Barack Obama's campaign, called Warren's dig against Buttigieg "disingenuous."
"It implies a level of corruption and cronyism that is inaccurate and ultimately plays into the hands of Republicans."
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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