Socialist Bernie Sanders Planted Seeds of Neera Tanden’s Fall During Confirmation Hearing

It was a severe Friday afternoon for President Joe Biden’s Office of Management and Budget nominee, Neera Tanden, whose nomination looks to be sinking in the quagmire of Democrat-controlled Senate politics.

Her unraveling nomination may not only be due to a moderate democrat like Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), who has said he will be a “no” vote, but also because Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), representing the most ideological members as chairman of the nominating committee, was publicly attacked by the nominee. It’s unknown if Biden believed Sanders would overlook the personal insult.

Sanders likely made Tanden feel uncomfortable in her Senate confirmation hearing, confronting her on her “vicious attacks” against both Republicans and progressives on Twitter, including “me, personally.”

Sanders’ attacks on Tanden were impactful, building a media firestorm while enabling other senators to discern more cracks in the Administration’s nominee. Indeed, Sanders’ line of questioning was evident in Manchin’s “no” vote announcement, a sign that Sanders may have divided his party against Biden’s nominee.

As for Tanden and her “nasty” tweets, she has deleted many of her “vicious attacks” since cinching Biden’s nomination.