Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders’ campaign is accusing rival Hillary Clinton of not being “sincere” in her public support for New York’s move to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour.
Clinton appeared with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo Monday to mark the new law’s passage, and has said she supports a $12 an hour national minimum wage with flexibility for states to move higher.
“The truth of the matter is that Secretary Clinton has not supported a $15 national minimum wage. That’s a position that Sen. Sanders has advocated from the beginning of this campaign,” said Sanders’ campaign manager Jeff Weaver said on CNN’s “New Day” on Tuesday.
But Clinton offered nothing but praise for the $15 minimum wage hike when flanked by Cuomo on Monday. She also hit Republican front-runner Donald Trump for his opposition to it.
“This is what makes America great,” she said, alluding to the real estate mogul’s campaign slogan. “Donald Trump has said that wages are too high. And a lot of members of his party agree, right?”
Clinton also highlighted the passage of the wage law as an example of the type of hard-fought policy progress she has championed.
“This is a real watershed,” she said. “Just as you heard the governor say, it is a result of what is best about New York and best about America. And I know that this is going to sweep our country because a budget is more than just numbers on a page.”
“What was accomplished here reflects our values and our priorities, it shows the world what kind of community we are and what we can get done when we work together,” she said.
Weaver said the move was “not really sincere.”
“As we’ve seen throughout this campaign, the secretary seems to want to move toward Bernie’s positions. Unfortunately, they’re not really sincere moves, and I think were she to get the nomination, I think you would see her backing off some of those ‘progressive moves’ that she’s made over the course of this campaign,” he said.
