Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., once suggested that the CIA might have been responsible for a series of domestic terrorist bombings in the United States.
Sanders, now 77, and lieutenant governor candidate John Franco disavowed the bombings but added “a charge that many such incidents may be instigated by government agencies to undermine legitimate efforts to bring about change,” according to a report in the Bennington Banner newspaper unearthed by the Daily Caller.
“Both men said such terrorism is counterproductive to changing the ‘system,’ and charged that government agencies like the CIA may in fact be responsible” the report stated, quoting Sanders as saying: “Anybody that thinks change is going to come because of bombings or terrorist activity is either extremely stupid, crazy or an agent of the U.S. government.”
Sanders was speaking after eight letter bombs were mailed to four American cities. One of the devices exploded in Manhattan and injured four women, but none of the other devices detonated.
During a 1974 debate, “Sanders called the CIA ‘a dangerous institution that has got to go,’ saying the CIA is ‘responsible to nobody except a handful of right-wing lunatics and the big multinational corporate interests.”
A spokeswoman for the Sanders campaign brushed off the remarks and claimed Sanders had consistently backed “peaceful political change.”
“While Donald Trump raves about a deep state coup and routinely invokes violence when discussing his political opponents, Senator Sanders is proud to have always supported peaceful political change,” the spokewoman said.
Sanders is one of more than 20 candidates running in the Democratic primary. He is going head-to-head against candidates including former Vice President Joe Biden, Sens. Kamala Harris of California, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York.
