Sanders Apologizes To Biden For Supporter Alleging Corruption
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: But let's also think back to the weekend where you saw this debate over Social Security play out. And Joe Biden called out the Sanders campaign for promoting this video that took some comments from him out of context relating to Social Security. So Bernie Sanders' attempt to take on Joe Biden when it comes to that issue of Social Security was in part overshadowed by the fact that they were promoting an out of context video. So this is something that the Sanders campaign is going to have to grapple with going forward. And in fact this morning, Hillary Clinton, there's a new interview with her from The Hollywood Reporter where she's quite critical of Bernie Sanders in the fact that oftentimes his supporters are lobbying attacks against his rivals, particularly women. And she says that that's something that people need to pay attention to, suggesting that it could be a culture that is fostered. So there are a lot of Democrats who are so concerned about the way Bernie Sanders handles the 2016 campaign, the way he referred to Hillary Clinton back then and that's something that he could have to grapple with in these coming weeks before the Iowa caucuses kicked off.</s>ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: OK. So tell us how former VP Biden and Mayor Pete Buttigieg are making hay of being able to still be on the campaign trail while four of their competitors are in Washington for the impeachment trial?</s>SAENZ: Well, Biden and Buttigieg are certainly going to try to take advantage of the fact that they are the only ones here on the ground, in that top tier of candidates over these next few days. Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg are going to be holding events throughout Iowa. For Joe Biden, the impeachment trial also gives him another chance to reinforce that he believes President Trump is most concerned about having him as the Democratic nominee. But you have those four senators who are now turning their attention from the campaign trail to Capitol Hill. They're going to be logging very long hours over these coming weeks. They're going to have to get creative with their own campaigning. Bernie Sanders had plans at evening rally for tomorrow here in Iowa, but it's unclear what these new rules and timing for the Senate impeachment trial if that's going to allow him to still come here. So certainly, we are in these final weeks before the caucuses and one thing to remember is we're 13 days out, 60 percent of Iowa Democratic caucus goers are either not fully committed to their first candidate or they're undecided. So it shows just how fluid this race is and how critical it is to be getting that face time to try to sway Iowans to caucus for them on February 3rd.</s>CAMEROTA: I think it's interesting to look at where the polls are right now so that we can compare it to where they are after the President Trump's Senate impeachment trial. So at the moment Joe in Iowa, this is the Monmouth poll, Joe Biden is at 24 percent, Bernie Sanders 18, Pete Buttigieg 17, Elizabeth Warren 15, Amy Klobuchar 8 percent and then it drops down from there. And so it'll just be interesting to see if those things are sort of shuffled afterwards. And then, of course, Arlette, there's also the factor of the TV ad spending. And those numbers in some cases are astronomical. And so Mike Bloomberg has spent, I mean this is not just Iowa, this is everywhere. He has spent $235 million. Tom Steyer, also a billionaire, $149 million. President Trump $41 million and then it goes down from there. Pete Buttigieg has spent a lot, $26 million. Bernie Sanders $24.6. So do our Iowans feeling all of that?</s>SAENZ: Well, I think Iowans could certainly feel that the 2020 election is here. They have been pounded by these TV ads for months now. But really a lot of those candidates, they just can't compete with that figure, $253 million that Michael Bloomberg has put up nationally and it also raises some questions about what is this race going to look like after those first four nominating states. Bloomberg is not competing in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina are really drilling in on Super Tuesday. No candidate has really successfully been able to do that, but could these ads kind of put him over the top or give him a little bit of an edge heading into those Super Tuesday states which are going to be very critical in deciding this nominating contest. But here in Iowa, they are certainly flooded with tons of TV ads from the candidates.</s>CAMEROTA: Oh, my gosh. Arlette Saenz, thank you very much for being on the ground in Iowa and giving us the take from there. John.</s>JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Right. The stage is set for a fierce debate today over Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's rules for the impeachment trial. Democrats are vowing to challenge his plan, how? We will speak live with the Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer about all of it next.