Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton wasn’t always opposed to Sen. Bernie Sanders — and Sanders wasn’t always against taking Political Action Committee (PAC) cash from party insiders.
In fact, back in 2006, when Clinton was a New York State U.S. Senator — a position to which she was elected after her time as First Lady of the United States — Clinton’s PAC donated $10,000 to bolster Sanders’ U.S. Senate bid.
“New York Sen. Hillary Clinton shared her wealth in March, doling out $190,000 to Democrats in Iowa, New Hampshire and elsewhere, according to a campaign report filed late Thursday,” the Associated Press wrote back in April, 2006. “Clinton’s political action committee, HILLPAC, raised $272,477 and spent $327,484 in March, according to the group’s filing to the Federal Election Commission.”
“Two congressmen trying to make it to the Senate also got boosts from Clinton,” the Associated Press continued. “Rep. Bernie Sanders, who is running for the seat held by retiring Vermont lawmaker Jim Jeffords, received $10,000, as did Harold Ford Jr. of Tennessee, who is campaigning for the seat being vacated by Majority Leader Bill Frist. Newly minted Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey also got $10,000.”
The 2006 donations came amid criticism that she was not using her vast resources and infrastructure to support Democratic candidates nationwide.
Sanders would ultimately win his Senate seat, in part because of the PAC money Clinton gave him.