Mike Bloomberg warned fellow financial executives that Sen. Elizabeth Warren and the rising progressive movement were “scary” at a private 2016 Goldman Sachs event and joked that he would “defend the banks” and use drones to kill his personal enemies in his hypothetical presidential administration.

According audio of the event leaked to CNN, Bloomberg spoke at length about the state of American politics at the June 15, 2016 event held at Yankee Stadium. His comments were emailed to CNN by an anonymous source who claimed to be a longtime former Goldman Sachs employee using the handle “CancelGoldman.” Bloomberg’s campaign confirmed the audio to be authentic.

“The opening line was a joke,” Bloomberg spokesman Stu Loeser told CNN, referring to his candidate’s comment: “Well, to start, my first campaign platform would be to defend the banks, and you know how well that’s gonna sell in this country.” Loeser added: “In the more serious parts of the speech, Mike tells very wealthy Americans that they need to break their addiction to cheap money that’s exacerbating income inequality in America.”

But Bloomberg was clearly not speaking tongue in cheek when discussing Warren and progressive Democrats’ aggressive focus on reining in Wall Street.

“The left is arising. The progressive movement is just as scary,” Bloomberg told the financial executives at the event. “Elizabeth Warren on one side. And whoever you want to pick on the Republicans on the right side?”

His comments did not go unnoticed by Warren, who quickly Tweeted out a new campaign website mocking Bloomberg’s fears.

“Elizabeth Warren on one side. And whoever you want to pick on the Republicans on the right side?”

https://t.co/YJN0R01krv https://t.co/SrL1J4YK9B

— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) February 24, 2020

In comments that could raise more skepticism about his commitment to the Democratic Party, the media tycoon also dismissed his own “backhanded” endorsement of President Barack Obama in 2012, saying he actually thought Obama’s rival, Mitt Romney, would have done a better job as president.

Finally, speaking about his decision not to run for president in 2016 as a missed opportunity, Bloomberg made cracks about using the US military to kill his enemies.

“I mean, you think about it, you have Predators, and the Predators have missiles,” Bloomberg pointed out, “and I have a list of everybody that’s annoyed me or screwed me for the last 74 years, and bang-bang-bang-bang.”

from Mediaite https://ift.tt/2TdpnzT