AMES, Iowa (AP) – Facing a narrowing primary contest, Hillary Clinton ripped into rival Bernie Sanders on Tuesday, saying the Vermont senator was offering unrealistic policies and overstating his anti-establishment credentials.
For days, Clinton has cast Sanders as a less forceful advocate for gun control, targeting a 2005 vote he cast that gave immunity to gun manufacturers. On Tuesday, she broadened her critique, arguing that if Sanders wouldn’t combat the National Rifle Association, he can’t be trusted to take on other special interests.
“If you’re going to go around saying you stand up to special interests then stand up to that most powerful special interest – stand up to the gun lobby,” she said, as she accepted the backing of a major gun control advocacy group.
Clinton added: “Don’t talk to me about standing up to corporate interests and big powers. I’ve got the scars to show for it.”
The new assault marks an effort by Clinton to undermine the central argument of Sanders’ campaign- that the Vermont Senator is an outsider offering liberals a “political revolution.”