Bernie Sanders, a United States Senator and Democratic presidential hopeful, recently unleashed a scathing attack on corrupt officials in the financial sector. The senator’s comments come in the wake of an article in the Wall Street Journal last week, where eighty CEOs called for spending cuts to deal with America’s large deficit.
Many political analysts argue that these proposed cuts would harm numerous public programs, including Medicaid and Medicare. Sanders was quick to point out the hypocrisy of the plans of these individuals, arguing, “There really is no shame. The Wall Street leaders whose recklessness and illegal behavior caused this terrible recession are now lecturing the American people on the need for courage to deal with the nation’s finances and deficit crisis.”
Sanders then listed the names of eighteen CEOs of major corporations that he views as having harmed the American economy. Among the most egregious examples in Sanders’ list are Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan, who paid nothing in income taxes in 2010, but still received a $1.9 billion tax refund.
Sanders also took aim at General Electric CEO Jeffrey Immelt, who, in addition to not paying any income tax in 2010, has also outsourced 25,000 jobs overseas since 2001. Since announcing his candidacy for the presidency, Sanders has been seen by many voters as a champion of middle class America.
Senator Sanders has also appeared on many news talk shows, including Meet the Press and Face the Nation, to speak for social justice and fairness in the American economy.