Hillary Clinton Responds to Bernie Sanders on Delegates: ‘Let’s Follow the Rules’

Former First Lady Doubles Down on Past 'Baloney' Comments

Then-Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, left, looks on as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) speaks during a campaign rally at University of New Hampshire in Durham, New Hampshire, on Sept. 28, 2016. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called on Democrats and 2020 candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) to just “follow the rules” after she was asked about a recent comment he made about delegates.

“Bernie Sanders said that if he makes it to the convention with the most pledged delegates that he should be the nominee. That’s quite a bit of change in his stance from 2016. Your reaction?” asked ABC News’ Lindsey Davis.

Clinton said that Sanders and others should “follow the rules” of the Democratic Party’s convention, which means that superdelegates do not have to vote for the candidate with a plurality of delegates at the end of the primaries.

“Let’s follow the rules. We’ve got rules. We had rules last time, and we have rules this time. I think it is always a good idea to follow the rules. Everybody knew when they got into it,” Clinton added.

Later in the interview, the former first lady said she agreed with comments that she made before the 2020 primary season, calling Sanders’s campaign “just baloney” and “I feel so bad people got sucked into it.”

“That was my authentic opinion then, it’s my authentic opinion now,” she told ABC on Tuesday.

Democratic presidential candidates former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) during a debate at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, New Hampshire, on Feb. 4, 2016. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

“Change is hard. It’s not glamorous, it doesn’t fit into a soundbite, and yet the people who were elected in 2018 are out there doing the people’s work. I think we ought to be more understanding and realistic on what it takes to get change in this big, complicated, pluralistic democracy of ours. And it’s not easy, but boy is it ever worth it. I just want to make sure voters know what can be done if they give the White House back to Democrats,” she remarked.

The Sanders campaign has not responded to a request for comment on Clinton’s latest statement.

But earlier this year, Sanders responded to a similar comment that Clinton had made about his record as a senator for Vermont.

“I’m sorry for what Secretary Clinton had to say. I know she said that nobody likes me, right. I mean, this is not the kind of rhetoric that we need right now when we are trying to bring the Democratic Party together to defeat the most dangerous president in American history,” he said during an appearance on CBS News in late January. Sanders said he hasn’t spoken to Clinton in some time.

“What Secretary Clinton did indicate—I was glad to hear this—is that she would support the Democratic nominee. And if that’s me, I look forward to her support,” Sanders remarked.