Democratic Leaders Say It's Time For Party Unity
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A rift is growing between Bernie Sanders and the Democratic leadership after his supporters were accused of disrupting Nevada's Democratic Convention. Now leaders are calling for party unity.
Sanders is pushing back against accusations that his supporters nearly came to blows with Clinton backers last weekend in Nevada.
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"To suggest that our campaign has anything to do with creating violence is an outrage, unacceptable and absolutely insulting," Sanders said.
Democratic party leaders say it's time to unite.
"Everybody needs to take a step back and a deep breath," Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz said. "We have to make sure that we can do everything we can to maximize the likelihood of being unified."
Clinton is just 90 delegates shy of winning the nomination, but Sanders is vowing to fight all the way to the Democratic Convention in Philadelphia.
It's about two and a half weeks until the final batch of primaries.
As CBS2's Dick Brennan reported, Clinton had what may have been her toughest words yet for Donald Trump and whether he belongs in office.
"I don't think he's qualified to be President," she said.
She didn't stop there.
"I think if you go through many of his irresponsible, reckless, dangerous comments it's not just somebody saying something off the cuff. We all misstate things and may not be as careful phrasing what we say. This is a pattern, a pattern going on now for months," she said.
Meanwhile, the presumptive GOP nominee is signaling the type of attacks he'd use against Clinton. Trump rehashed old accusations against Bill Clinton during an interview Wednesday with Fox News Channel's Sean Hannity.
Trump used the word "rape'' when discussing allegations of sexual misconduct involving the former president.
Trump said, "You look at what Clinton's gone through with all of the problems and all of the things that he's done.''
Hannity went on to question whether journalists would interview three women who have accused Bill Clinton of misconduct.
"In one case, it's about exposure. In another case, it's about groping and fondling and touching against a woman's will,'' Hannity said.
"And rape,'' Trump responded.
Trump has an event with Chris Christie on Thursday night in Lawrenceville, N.J.
Messages left with the Clinton campaign were not immediately returned.
A new national poll shows Trump up three points over Clinton in a November election. That same poll showed Clinton with an 7-point lead over Trump in April.
(TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
