Ben & Jerry's ice cream is feuding with a top GOP operative on Twitter
It's a rocky road to get to the White House.
A top spokesman for the national Republican Party attacked a 2016 candidate for offering supporters free ice cream on Tuesday.
The Ben & Jerry's ice cream brand eventually got involved in the spat on Twitter.
When Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) officially kicked off his Democratic campaign for president on Tuesday, treats from the Vermont-based ice cream company Ben & Jerry's were on hand. And, according to reporters present, the company distributed free ice cream and attendees formed a long line to get it:
The free Ben & Jerry's at Bernie Sanders' 2016 campaign kickoff is flowing. And melting. pic.twitter.com/FrriG7DAC6
- Dylan Stableford (@stableford) May 26, 2015
The line for free Ben & Jerry's at Bernie Sanders' campaign launch. pic.twitter.com/lNOrxTRiMy
- Dylan Stableford (@stableford) May 26, 2015
But Sean Spicer, the communications director for the Republican National Committee, argued on Twitter that Ben & Jerry's should report the ice cream as an "in-kind" contribution to the Sanders campaign:
so @BernieSanders rallies against corporations but has no problem taking @benandjerrys free handouts at kickoff
- Sean Spicer (@seanspicer) May 27, 2015
@seanspicer Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield (citizens) donated the ice cream. We have similar values as the Senator, but are non-partisan.
- Ben & Jerry's (@benandjerrys) May 27, 2015
But Spicer maintained that the ice cream should still be reported as a contribution to the Sanders campaign:
.@benandjerrys great. There are still laws. One is you can't donate without reporting it to the Federal Election Commission
- Sean Spicer (@seanspicer) May 27, 2015
Reached for comment by Business Insider, Spicer said he didn't have anything to add on the topic beyond what he wrote on Twitter.
The Sanders campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment asking if, in fact, the ice cream was reported to the Federal Election Commission. Business Insider also reached out to Ben & Jerry's co-founder Ben Cohen to ask him about Spicer's questions.
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