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Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) has called on high-ranking Democratic Party leaders to crack down on billionaire and corporate-backed spending in primary races despite endorsing candidates affiliated with billionaire-aligned funding networks.<\/span><\/p>\n In a recent letter to DNC Chair Ken Martin and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), the Democratic socialist and several Democratic senators called on the party to require all primary candidates \u201cto pledge opposition\u201d to such funding.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Left-wing Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Tina Smith (D-MN), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) also signed on.<\/span><\/p>\n The demand reflects Sanders\u2019 longtime critique of dark money and his broader focus on reducing the influence of what he describes as \u201cthe oligarchy.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Political action committees do play an outsized role in American politics, thanks to a <\/span>landmark 2010 Supreme Court ruling<\/span><\/a> allowing super PACs and corporations to raise and spend unlimited amounts of money. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIf the Democrats are going to be honest and consistent in terms of their concerns about money and politics, they\u2019ve got to clean up, in my view, their own house immediately,\u201d <\/span>Sanders told the New York Times.<\/span><\/a> \u201cThat means getting super PACs out of Democratic primaries, congressional as well as presidential.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Sanders\u2019 purity push clashes with his own endorsements, as he has recently backed candidates tied to political networks that receive significant funding from wealthy donors.<\/p>\n Two of those candidates, <\/span>Bob Brooks <\/span><\/a>in Pennsylvania\u2019s 7th District and <\/span>Sam Forstag<\/span><\/a> in Montana\u2019s 1st District, are supported by <\/span>The Bench, a left-wing group devoted to \u201crecruiting and supporting the next generation of Democratic leaders.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cGetting these campaigns off the ground is hard, especially in districts where Democrats don\u2019t usually compete. That\u2019s where The Bench comes in. We help strong candidates launch with the tools they need to succeed\u2014from communications and digital strategy to fundraising and staffing\u2014so they can focus on what matters most: talking with voters and winning tough races,\u201d the group states.\u00a0<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n An investigation by <\/span>The Lever, an investigative news outlet,<\/span><\/a> dove into the financial network behind The Bench and a related group, Majority Democrats, describing the two super PACS as part of a \u201cnew Democratic machine\u201d fueled in part by billionaire donors.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The Lever reported that the new fundraising machines are \u201cboth tied to a single venture capitalist-turned-secretive Democratic adviser.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cUnder this umbrella, the influence network is dispersing millions through a sophisticated nesting doll of political action committees (PACs), nonprofits, consultancies, and LLCs, while sharing the same big-money donors, political consultants, and often the same policy proposals,\u201d the report said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Both The Bench and Majority Democrats appear \u201cto be intervening in campaigns\u2019 day-to-day operations to an unprecedented degree,\u201d according to The Lever. Both super PACs have raised $8 million this year, mostly from tycoons like hedge-fund manager Stephen Mandel and Nvidia board member Tench Coxe, <\/span>CBS reported this month.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n The Bench is also backing candidates in battleground districts facing crowded primaries, including Arizona\u2019s 1st<\/a>, Colorado\u2019s 8th<\/a>, Michigan\u2019s 7th<\/a>, Nebraska\u2019s 2nd<\/a>, New York\u2019s 17th<\/a>, and Texas\u2019s 35th.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n The Daily Wire reached out to Sen. Sanders\u2019 office for comment, but did not hear back in time for publication.<\/p>\n