Sanders furthermore accused ThinkProgress of going after other progressive Democrat candidates, such as Cory Booker and Elizabeth Warren.
Finally, Sanders urged ThinkProgress to aid Democrats in their attempt to defeat President Trump in 2020:
“The Democratic primary must be a campaign of ideas, not of bad faith smears. Please help play a constructive role in the effect to defeat Donald Trump.”
Response to Sanders’ Letter
Sanders’ letter garnered a response from the Center for American Progress Action Fund (CAP), a parent of ThinkProgress.
Neera Tanden, the president and CEO of CAP, ultimately decided that ThinkProgress issued an “overly harsh” assessment of Sanders.
“The orientation of CAP is to positively engage with all political leaders about the country’s future. ThinkProgress is editorially independent of CAP and CAP Action, which is what has made it valuable as a news outlet. Similarly, we at CAP can form our own opinions of their work. We believe the content of the ThinkProgress video critiquing Sen. Sanders is overly harsh and does not reflect our approach to a constructive debate of the issues.”
