The Sanders campaign looked into whether Warren could serve as vice president and treasury secretary at the same time, according to report

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The Sanders campaign looked into whether Warren could serve as vice president and treasury secretary at the same time, according to report
Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders.

Jose Luis Magana/AP Images

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Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders.

  • Senator Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign looked into the legality of potentially appointing Senator Elizabeth Warren as both his vice president and treasury secretary
  • The two have similar ideologies on Wall Street, but their varying strategies could complement each other, The Intercept said.
  • Sanders and Warren have been aligned since Sanders supported Warren's proposal to create the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
  • The news, published Friday, comes amid recent tensions between the two campaigns.
  • Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and his presidential campaign reportedly looked into whether Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts could serve as both vice president and treasury secretary if he were elected president.

The report, published late Friday by The Intercept, says that Sanders had lawyers research whether or not an individual could serve two roles within the administration. Three people close to the Sanders campaign told The Intercept that the individual was his 2020 rival, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.

Per The Intercept, the sources, who said the campaign had not finalized any decisions for Sanders' potential cabinet, determined that there were no Constitutional barriers that would prevent a vice president from serving as treasury secretary.

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The report comes amid the current ongoing public war of words between the Sanders and Warren campaigns over accusations Sanders told Warren at a closed-door meeting in 2018.

While sources, described by CNN as "two people Warren spoke with directly soon after the encounter, and two people familiar with the meeting," have said Sanders said a woman could not beat President Donald Trump at the polls, Sanders has denied the accusations. Sanders said he told Warren the president was "a sexist, a racist, and a liar who would weaponize whatever he could," but never said that a woman could not win.

Per The Intercept, the Warren campaign has denied that it was behind leaking the story that has led to the controversy.

The two sparred over the accusation at the January 14 debate. As Insider reported, audio published by CNN showed a heated exchange between the two presidential hopefuls following the Tuesday night debate in Iowa. There have even been suggestions that Warren refused to shake Sanders' hand following the showdown.

"I think you called me a liar on national TV," Warren said after the debate had concluded, according to audio published by CNN.

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"Let's not do it right now," Sanders told warren. "You want to have that discussion, we'll have that discussion."

"You called me a liar, you told me - all right let's not do it now," Sanders reiterated.

Despite their recent quibble, the pair has reportedly been friendly for years, with both candidates often viewed as the more progressive Democratic presidential candidates compared to the more moderate candidates, like former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, or former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg.

As The Intercept noted, Sanders and Warren have been largely aligned since around the time of the 2008 financial crisis when Sanders supported Warren's plan to create the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Sanders' potential desire to appoint Warren his treasury secretary isn't too far fetched, as the two have similar ideologies when it comes to Wall Street. Warren's focus on bankers, which is different than Sanders' focus, could complement each other, The Intercept said.

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The Sanders and Warren campaigns did not immediately respond for comment.

Read more:

Wall Street is more terrified of an Elizabeth Warren presidency than previously thought, new report finds

Bernie Sanders is being attacked from all sides after a resurgence

Bernie Sanders said he was talking about 'the weather' with Elizabeth Warren in viral moment at end of Iowa debate

Elizabeth Warren is betting on an electability-focused message to win Iowa - but even with her well-oiled campaign machine, it's a gamble



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