The Slatest

George Clooney Says He’s Raised “Obscene Amount of Money” for Hillary Clinton

George Clooney poses during a photo call for the film Hail, Caesar! screened as opening film of the 66th Berlinale Film Festival in Berlin on February 11, 2016.  

TOBIAS SCHWARZ/AFP/Getty Images

George Clooney says he agrees with Bernie Sanders that the amount of money in politics is ridiculous. The actor, who hosted big fundraisers for Hillary Clinton over the weekend, told NBC’s Meet the Press that he’d rather not fundraise at all but characterized money in politics as a necessary evil. “The Supreme Court can overturn Citizens United and get this obscene, ridiculous amount of money out so I never have to do a fundraiser again,” he said. “And that’s why I’m doing it.”

Host Chuck Todd asked Clooney whether the amount of money to take part in the weekend’s fundraisers was not obscene. The actor didn’t hesitate. “Yes,” he said. “I think it’s an obscene amount of money. I think—you know that we had some protesters last night when we pulled up in San Francisco and they’re right to protest, they’re absolutely right, it is an obscene amount of money.” Although Clooney publicly supports Clinton he still praised Sanders and expressed “hope he stays in for the entire election.”

Still, Clooney said that “the Clinton campaign has not been very good at explaining” that most of the money raised would go to Democrats running for Congress. “We need to take the Senate back because we need to confirm a Supreme Court justice, because that fifth vote on the supreme court can overturn Citizens United and get this obscene, ridiculous amount of money out so I never have to do a fundraiser again,” Clooney said.

Sanders, for his part, told CNN that he has “a lot of respect for George Clooney’s honesty and integrity on this issue.” He added that the weekend’s fundraising efforts though exemplify how he is different from Clinton. “We raised seven million individual campaign contributions, more than any other candidate in American history at this point, averaging 27 dollars,” the Vermont senator told CBS’ Face the Nation. “She is out there raising money for the wealthy and the powerful. And I think you can judge a candidate based on how you raise money and who you ultimately become dependent upon.”