Sanders drop out?

Nader: 'Why should Bernie Sanders drop out?'

By NICK GASS

Bernie Sanders should not drop out of the Democratic race, former Green Party presidential nominee Ralph Nader said Thursday, in an interview in which he reiterated his disdain for the notion that his 2000 presidential bid cost Al Gore the presidency.

"But why should Bernie Sanders drop out? There could be a scandal with Hillary Clinton. Those transcripts and closed door meetings with the big bankers and other corporations could be released," the consumer advocate told CNN in a telephone interview, referring to the Democratic front-runner's refusal to release the transcripts of her paid speeches to large financial institutions.

Nader also noted that the superdelegates currently pledged to Clinton are not bound.

"He made a good point, Bernie, when he said he wants to go all the way to the convention so everyone — ending up in California, every voter can have a right to vote for the candidate of their choice," Nader said, before turning his fire on Donald Trump.

Trump, he said, should release his income tax returns.

"He keeps saying he's working on it, he's working on it, but he has no intention ever disclosing the fraud that he's not worth what he is, that he doesn't give money to philanthropy, that he has very shady dealings in his business practices," Nader said. Trump has said he will not release those returns while they are being audited and has declined to release returns from years not under audit.

"So let's focus on the colossus of ignorance as somebody called Donald Trump," Nader continued.

Nader also said he did not think Sanders should or even would run as an independent candidate.
"Well, he's said repeatedly he's going to support the Democratic nominee, whoever the Democratic nominee is, and he's a believable person," Nader commented. "He doesn't dissemble. So that takes care of that. Apart from the fact it's getting very late to get on all the ballots. It's almost impossible now even if he wanted to do it."

As far as what he would do in Sanders' position, Nader demurred, again taking a shot at Trump.

"Well, I would never have run in the Democratic Party, so that's a question I cannot answer. He ran in the Democratic Party and he's doing very, very well. In fact, if independent voters could vote in those primaries this last Tuesday, he would have won them all," he said, echoing a line from the Sanders campaign. "He won Rhode Island because independent candidates [sic] could vote in the Democratic primary. So he really is ahead in the polls against Trump, ahead of Hillary against Trump, and by the way, Trump is not a sure thing. He's got a lot of vulnerabilities, and he can't keep his mouth shut to the delight of the ratings of CNN and Fox News."