Sen. Bernie Sanders said Sunday he will not accept super PAC money in his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination, but he also declined to criticize his opponent, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, for doing so.
"I understand where she is coming from," the Vermont Senator told "Face the Nation," but added, "I will not have a super PAC.
Sanders serves in the U.S. Senate as an Independent, but is running in the Democratic presidential primaries because he says there is "massive dissatisfaction in this country today with the corporate establishment." He said believes that could give him a chance to beat Clinton.
"I don't think we're going to outspend Hillary Clinton or Jeb Bush or anybody else, but I think we are going to raise the kinds of money that we need to run a strong and winning campaign," Sanders told host Bob Schieffer.
Should he be elected president, Sanders said his litmus test for Supreme Court nominees would be their support for overturning the Citizens United case that allowed unlimited campaign spending by nonprofit organizations.
"That decision is undermining American democracy," Sanders said. "I do not believe that billionaires should be able to buy politicians."
Sanders, who describes himself as a European-style socialist, told Schieffer he is likely the "most progressive" member of the Senate.
He said he is running against Clinton because he wants to tackle "wealth inequality" and the "the fact real employment is 11 percent," among other issues.
"I have known Hillary Clinton for 25 years. I respect her and I admire her," Sanders said. "But I think we're living in a very strange moment in American history."
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