On Wednesday's At This Hour, CNN's Kate Bolduan lobbied Bernie Sanders's senior media adviser, Tad Devine, to lighten up in his campaign's attacks on Hillary Clinton, following the Vermont senator's loss in the New York primary: "Bernie Sanders said there's no change in strategy moving forward. But when you look forward...do you need to have a change in tone? The Clinton campaign is furious over what they call false character attacks from your campaign leading up to New York....You guys are basically helping Republicans here." [video below]
Bolduan tossed her "tone" question midway through her interview of Devine. The Sanders flack replied, "I couldn't disagree more with their mischaracterization of what's going on; and I would point to the exit polls from New York to refute their case...one of the questions in the exit poll yesterday was, which campaign was running the more unfair campaign? Now, this is in a state where Hillary Clinton won 58 percent of the vote. And yet, 46 percent of the New York respondents said the Clinton campaign was more unfair."
Devine also cited how the same exit poll found that "sixty-six percent of Democrats in New York said the campaign was energizing the Democratic Party...So, I hear...what they're saying, but...what they're saying is being refuted by the voters themselves."
Co-host John Berman followed up by underlining, "It sounds like you're saying is there will be no change in tone from your campaign." The guest answered, in part, by spotlighting how "the New York Times has an excellent editorial today that points out why it's so important for Bernie Sanders to continue to make his case — that he has brought definition to these issues....I think we'll continue to make the case on whether or not it's time to change politics in America."
Just over two hours earlier, Carol Costello asked a similar question to Bernie Sanders supporter Nomiki Konst (though without Bolduan's explicit "helping Republicans" statement):
CAROL COSTELLO: Bernie Sanders has to be disappointed in the results in New York State. You heard some Democrats want him to dial down the rhetoric. Should he do that now?
NOMIKI KONST, FORMER DNC COUNCIL AT-LARGE MEMBER: Well, I think that Bernie Sanders has led a very positive campaign. If anything, he's just been talking about the differences between the two candidate's records throughout the campaign; and you can hear that throughout his rhetoric. I mean, listen, if they want — if they think that it's been negative, clearly, they haven't been listening to the other side. That's — that's the Hillary Clinton campaign.
The transcript of the relevant portion of the Tad Devine interview from CNN's At This Hour With Berman and Bolduan on April 20, 2016:
KATE BOLDUAN: Last night, Bernie Sanders said there's no change in strategy moving forward. But when you look forward, does — do you need to have a change in tone? The Clinton campaign is furious over what they call false character attacks from your campaign leading up to New York. They called it destructive — not productive for Democrats, and not productive for the country. You guys are basically helping Republicans here. Are you going to change the tone?
[CNN Graphic: "Sanders Camp: Will Fight For Superdelegates Until July; Sanders: 'No Change' In Campaign Strategy"]
TAD DEVINE, SENIOR MEDIA ADVISER, BERNIE SANDERS PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN: Well, listen, first, I couldn't disagree more with their mischaracterization of what's going on; and I would point to the exit polls from New York to refute their case. You know, one of the questions in the exit poll yesterday was, which campaign was running the more unfair campaign? Now, this is in a state where Hillary Clinton won 58 percent of the vote. And yet, 46 percent of the New York respondents said the Clinton campaign was more unfair; 34 percent said the Sanders campaign. So, even in a state that she won overwhelmingly, the voters, who had a front row seat for that campaign, said they were more unfair.
And I'd also point them to the exit poll about whether or not this campaign was energizing our party. Sixty-six percent of Democrats in New York said the campaign was energizing the Democratic Party. It's very different than Republicans, who believe the campaign is dividing the party. So, I hear their — I hear what they're saying, but they're — what they're saying is being refuted by the voters themselves.
JOHN BERMAN: It sounds like you're saying is there will be no change in tone from your campaign.
DEVINE: Well, listen, we want to debate on the issues. The New York Times has an excellent editorial today that points out why it's so important for Bernie Sanders to continue to make his case — that he has brought definition to these issues — particularly, the issue of whether or not the Democratic Party needs to continue to rely on big money to fund its campaigns. So I think the Times is right — that's a newspaper that endorsed Hillary Clinton — and I think we'll continue to make the case on whether or not it's time to change politics in America. I think Bernie Sanders's case was heard in New York; she succeeded in her home state; but I think more voters will respond to it all across this country — all the way through California and the District of Columbia.
