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Russell Simmons Slams Bernie Sanders in an Effort to Amplify Hillary Clinton Endorsement

Posted byBy Ricky Riley | Published on: | Updated on March 6, 2016 CommentsComments (5)

Black business icon — co-creator of Phat Farm and Def Jam —  Russell Simmons reveals that he is throwing his full support behind Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in a stream of tweets and a CNN interview.

Simmons believes that Clinton has an honest progressive agenda that will serve Black voters.

“Bernie Sanders is over-promising. He’s insensitive to the plight of Black people, and what good is it if you don’t take lobbyist money and don’t acknowledge the No. 1 threat to America and to the world is the factory farming lobby because it is poisoning the planet quickly,” Simmons said in a CNN interview.

The news came as a surprise to many of his fans. Clinton has been grilled by many Black voters for her vehement support of President Bill Clinton’s 1994 crime bill, which was responsible for the current epidemic of mass incarceration in the Black community. She has gone on record for calling Black children who have committed crime “super predators.”

In a series of tweets, Simmons urged Black voters to rally behind the Clinton campaign:

Supporters of Clinton’s opponent, Bernie Sanders, did not understand why a Black mogul like Simmons would support her. In the comedic attack, Twitter users referenced Simmons’ faulty “Rush Cards,” and Sanders’ civil rights activism was brought up to defend the candidate’s commitment to the Black community.

https://twitter.com/PoliticsPeach/status/705783276603088896

https://twitter.com/PoliticsPeach/status/705782176663662592

https://twitter.com/sanders_bern/status/705823625685774336

Simmons has been in the media spotlight recently because of his efforts in Flint, Michigan, providing water for the victims of the water crisis and his partnership with the #JusticeforFlint fundraiser.

The business icon’s endorsement is timely.

The next Democratic presidential debate will take place in Michigan — a state with large Black populations in many of its cities. Clinton and Sanders are both fighting over the Black vote.

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