Sanders talks Trump, Russia and healthcare on ‘The View’

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said Wednesday there is “very strong” evidence of the Trump campaign colluding with Russia, in an interview on “The View” Wednesday. 

“I think what we have is some very strong evidence about the possibility of collusion,” Sanders said when asked if there is a smoking gun of collusion in the case of Donald Trump Jr. meeting with Russian lawyers during the 2016 campaign to procure opposition research on Hillary Clinton. 

The Vermont Senator added that “what is important is that every American, that they believe this process is objective and it is fair.” 

“Politics is ugly,” he said when asked if the allegations of collusion were politics as usual. “But,” he added, “presidential candidates do not have email chains with foreign governments who are talking about how they can elect you, and have dirt on your opponents. That is a clear violation of campaign finance law.”

The conversation also touched on healthcare and the GOP plan to repeal and replace ObamaCare.

{mosads}”Nobody thinks the Affordable Care Act is perfect,” Sanders said, when asked by host Whoopi Goldberg if it was time for both parties to work on addressing the bill’s issues, and said he was “absolutely open” to working across the isle on improving healthcare. 

Co-host Jedediah Bila then pointed to the senator’s previous statements saying that “thousands will die” under the GOP bill, asking him if he thought the rhetoric would create an “impasse to compromise.” 

Sanders dismissed that he had said Republicans would kill people, saying “I have said publicly nobody here in the Congress wants anybody to die.” 

The former 2016 presidential candidate also avoided questions about a potential run in 2020. “A presidential election is a long way away,” he said. 

The show ended with co-host Joy Behar showing Sanders her new dog, whom she named “Bernie” after the senator.