Buttigieg Attacked By Warren & Sanders Over ‘Wine Cave’ Fundraiser At Democratic Debate

Democratic candidates are in the hunt to qualify for the Jan. 14 debate in Des Moines, Iowa, which will be held less than three weeks out from the first-in-the-nation caucus. On Friday, the committee released new polling and fundraising thresholds that must be met for the January presidential primary debate.

With the sixth debate of the year over, the top seven candidates duked it out in Los Angeles to continue their goal of the presidency. This debate coming just one day after President Donald Trump became the third president to be impeached by the House of Representatives.

Last night saw a battle over… wine? Well, not quite. But, Sens. Bernie Sander (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), attacked South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg over an event held this past weekend. Billionaires Craig and Kathryn Hall hosted a fundraiser in Napa Valley in the Hall Rutherford wine caves, that featured a Swarovski-studded chandelier and bottles that hit $900.

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In attempts to paint Buttigieg as the candidate who bows to wealthy donors, the Sanders’ campaign in an email wrote, “I am not entirely sure what happened when people pay huge sums of money to have dinner with a candidate at a wine cave with ‘1,500 Swarovski crystals,’ but I would guess they are not talking about standing up to the greed of the billionaire class.”

Despite Joe Biden still leading in the polls, Buttigieg has seemed to take heat lately from other candidates and this wine fiasco only added fuel to that fire. In response, Buttigieg addressed Warren at the debate saying, “I’m literally the only person on this stage who’s not a millionaire or a billionaire. If I pledge never to be in the company of a progressive Democratic donor, I couldn’t be up here. Senator, your net worth is 100 times mine.”

Going into the new year, candidates find themselves on the hunt for a spot at the Iowa debate. As tension grows between Buttigieg and Warren, their battles over past corporate clients, hypocrisy and approach to wealth policies seems to be far from over.