Elizabeth Warren Refuses to Say if Her Vice President Would Attend Big-Money Fundraisers

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) refused to say on Wednesday if her running mate would refrain from attending big-money fundraisers.

Warren, who has touted her campaign as 100 percent grassroots-funded, refused to say if she would require that her running mate not attend big-money fundraisers.

“Is your vice presidential pick going to also try and avoid those high-dollar fundraisers as well?” a reporter asked.

Warren refused to answer the question directly, calling it “a little premature” and essentially leaving the door open for her potential running mate to attend high-dollar fundraisers, which she prides herself on avoiding.

“You know, I think it’s a little premature to be talking about vice presidential. We’re still in primary here, and I’m working hard on this,” she said.

But look, I want a vice presidential partner, someone who’s going to get out there and fight for the same values,” she added:

Warren’s claims of a 100 percent grassroots-funded campaign have been called into question, particularly following a report that indicated she used millions in leftover funds – $10.4 million – from her 2018 senatorial bid to cushion her presidential campaign. At the time, Warren happily courted big donors and attended fundraisers, causing some to question her commitment to a true grassroots operation.

Former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell (D) contributed $4,000 to Warren in 2018 and noted her sudden change of heart.

As Breitbart News reported:

Rendell cohosted a Biden fundraiser earlier this year. To his surprise, the Warren campaign slammed the event as “a swanky private fund-raiser for wealthy donors” – despite the fact that Warren benefitted from similar events in the recent past.

“She didn’t have any trouble taking our money the year before,” Rendell said, according to the Times. “All of a sudden, we were bad guys and power brokers and influence-peddlers. In 2018, we were wonderful.”

Warren also attended fundraisers hosted by billionaires– specifically Henry and Marsha Laufer.

As the New York Times reported:

In Florida, she was hosted for an event by the billionaires Henry and Marsha Laufer. In New York, Meyer S. Frucher, the vice chairman of Nasdaq, held a reception for her. She was hosted by the “Lost” creator Damon Lindelof and his wife, Heidi, in Southern California. The philanthropist Stephen M. Silberstein had Ms. Warren over to his San Francisco-area home. And as late as the fall of 2018, she visited Silicon Valley, where Karla Jurvetson, a multimillion-dollar Democratic contributor, hosted an event for her.

Warren’s campaign reported $24.6 million raised in the third quarter, less than $1 million short of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-VT) $25.3 million. Approximately 940,000 contributions comprised the third-quarter haul, having an average donation of $26.