Accountability file

Record & events

• disposition: After settling in Vermont in 1968, he ran unsuccessful third-party political campaigns in the 1970s. (as of 2026-09-01T04:07:24.470Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• statement: His older brother Larry said that during their childhood, the family never lacked food or clothing, but major purchases, "like curtains or a rug", were not affordable. (as of 2026-09-01T04:07:24.470Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• statement: In later interviews, Sanders described himself as a mediocre college student because the classroom was "boring and irrelevant" and said he viewed community activism as more important to his education. (as of 2026-09-01T04:07:24.470Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• statement: At the protest, Sanders said, "We feel it is an intolerable situation when Negro and white students of the university cannot live together in university-owned apartments." He and 32 other students then entered the building and camped out… (as of 2026-09-01T04:07:24.470Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• investigation: After weeks of sit-ins, Beadle and the university formed a commission to investigate discrimination. (as of 2026-09-01T04:07:24.470Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• charge: That summer, Sanders was fined $25 (equivalent to $263 in 2025) for resisting arrest during a demonstration in Englewood against segregation in Chicago's public schools. (as of 2026-09-01T04:07:24.470Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• statement: Sanders said that he spent much of his student years reading history, sociology, psychology, and the works of political authors, from Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, John Dewey, Karl Marx, and Erich Fromm—"reading everything except wh… (as of 2026-09-01T04:07:24.470Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• resignation: After resigning from the Liberty Union Party in 1977, Sanders worked as a writer and as the director of the nonprofit American People's Historical Society (APHS). (as of 2026-09-01T04:07:24.470Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• statement: He said he would not seek another mayoral term after the 1987 election: "eight years is enough and I think it is time for new leadership, which does exist within the coalition, to come up". (as of 2026-09-01T04:07:24.470Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• statement: In his introduction, he praised Chomsky as "a very vocal and important voice in the wilderness of intellectual life in America" and said that he was "delighted to welcome a person who I think we're all very proud of". (as of 2026-09-01T04:07:24.470Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• statement: When Sanders left office in 1989, Bouricius, a member of the Burlington city council, said that Sanders had "changed the entire nature of politics in Burlington and also in the state of Vermont". (as of 2026-09-01T04:07:24.470Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• disposition: Although he acknowledged that "clearly, there are some people in our society who are horribly violent, who are deeply sick and sociopathic, and clearly these people must be put behind bars in order to protect society from them", he maint… (as of 2026-09-01T04:07:24.470Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• disposition: In 1998, he voted for a bill that would have increased minimum sentencing for possessing a gun while committing a federal crime to ten years in prison, including nonviolent crimes such as marijuana possession. (as of 2026-09-01T04:07:24.470Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• statement: As of 2016, he said that he has since changed his position and would vote for legislation to defeat this bill. (as of 2026-09-01T04:07:24.470Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• statement: He said to the House, "Anyone who takes an objective look at our trade policy with China must conclude that it is an absolute failure and needs to be fundamentally overhauled", citing the American jobs being lost to overseas competitors. (as of 2026-09-01T04:07:24.470Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• statement: Dean said in May 2005 that he considered Sanders an ally who "votes with the Democrats 98% of the time". (as of 2026-09-01T04:07:24.470Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• statement: Sanders was reelected and has said this term will likely be his last. (as of 2026-09-01T04:07:24.470Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• statement: PolitiFact rated his statement "mostly true". (as of 2026-09-01T04:07:24.470Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• statement: In a March 2025 interview, Sanders said that Biden failed to properly curb illegal immigration and commended Trump for strengthening border immigration policies, adding, "nobody thinks illegal immigration is appropriate", while also crit… (as of 2026-09-01T04:07:24.470Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• statement: Announcing the legislation, he said, "If we are serious about reducing income and wealth inequality and rebuilding the middle class, we have got to substantially increase the number of union jobs in this country." Sanders opposed the 201… (as of 2026-09-01T04:07:24.470Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• statement: Supreme Court nominees On March 17, 2016, Sanders said he would support Merrick Garland's nomination to the Supreme Court, though he added, "there are some more progressive judges out there." He opposed Neil Gorsuch's nomination to the c… (as of 2026-09-01T04:07:24.470Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• statement: In December 2014, Warren said she was not running. (as of 2026-09-01T04:07:24.470Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• statement: In his announcement, Sanders said, "I don't believe that the men and women who defended American democracy fought to create a situation where billionaires own the political process" and made this a central idea throughout his campaign. (as of 2026-09-01T04:07:24.470Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• disposition: The tone of some stories is regrettably dismissive, even mocking at times. (as of 2026-09-01T04:07:24.470Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• statement: He said he would continue to work with the Democratic National Convention organizers to implement progressive positions. (as of 2026-09-01T04:07:24.470Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• investigation: In February 2018, Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 US elections concluded that Russians had communicated false information during the primary campaigns to help Sanders and Stein and har… (as of 2026-09-01T04:07:24.470Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• investigation: Sanders rejected the investigation's conclusion, saying that he had seen no evidence that Russians had helped his campaign. (as of 2026-09-01T04:07:24.470Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• statement: He later said that his campaign had taken action to prevent Russian meddling in the election and that a campaign staffer had alerted the Clinton campaign. (as of 2026-09-01T04:07:24.470Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• statement: Along with his 2019 campaign announcement, he said he would abide by a new Democratic Party rule for presidential candidates and that he would affirm his membership in that party. (as of 2026-09-01T04:07:24.470Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• statement: On March 5, 2019, he signed a formal statement, known as a "loyalty pledge", that he is a member of the Democratic Party and will serve as a Democrat if elected. (as of 2026-09-01T04:07:24.470Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• statement: After interviewing him, Rogan said, "I am not right-wing ... (as of 2026-09-01T04:07:24.470Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• statement: Phillip asked Sanders, "Senator Sanders, CNN reported yesterday, and Senator Warren confirmed in a statement, that in 2018 you told her that you did not believe that a woman could win the election. (as of 2026-09-01T04:07:24.470Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• statement: He supported the Affordable Care Act, though he said it did not go far enough. (as of 2026-09-01T04:07:24.470Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• statement: Defining what "democratic socialism" means to him, Sanders said: "I don't believe government should take over the grocery store down the street or own the means of production, but I do believe that the middle class and the working famili… (as of 2026-09-01T04:07:24.470Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]