A website referencing a fiery exchange between Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg at Thursday night’s debate redirects users to a page for donations to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
The web address peteswinecave.com leads to the Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue and options for donating to Sanders, a reference to Warren criticizing Buttigieg for holding a fundraiser at a wine cave in Napa, Calif.
“The mayor just recently had a fundraiser that was held in a wine cave full of crystals and served $900 a bottle wine. Think about who comes to that,” Warren said. “Billionaires in wine caves should not pick the next president of the United States.”
Sanders’s page on the ActBlue platform says: “Can you make a contribution to our campaign? Our single path to victory is from LOTS of people making small donations. Bernie doesn’t have a super PAC or wealthy donors supporting this campaign. There is only one way we win — and that is together.”
Buttigieg defended his fundraisers, saying the goal is to defeat President Trump in 2020.
“You know, according to Forbes Magazine, I am literally the only person on this stage who is not a millionaire or a billionaire,” Buttigieg said. “This is the problem with issuing purity tests you cannot yourself pass. If I pledged to never be in the company of a progressive, Democratic donor, I couldn’t be up here.”
Other candidates on the debate stage jumped into the back and forth, with Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) saying, “I’ve never even been to a wine cave. I’ve been to the wind cave in South Dakota, which I suggest you visit.”