CHARLESTON, S.C. — Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders ended Sunday night’s debate calling out Governor Rick Snyder for his handling of Flint’s water crisis.
Clinton, during her closing statements, said “every single American should be outraged” by the water crisis in Flint.
The former Secretary of State said Sunday night that she sent a “top campaign aide” to Flint, which is dealing with lead contamination of the city’s tap water, and she criticized Snyder, saying he has “acted as though he didn’t really care.”
Clinton argued that “if the kids in a rich suburb of Detroit had been drinking contaminated water and being bathed in it, there would have been action.”
Snyder quickly responded on Twitter Sunday night saying “political statements and finger pointing from political candidates only distract from solving the Flint water crisis.”
President Barack Obama has signed an emergency declaration that clears the way for federal aid in Flint. The water became contaminated after Flint switched from the Detroit water system to the Flint River as a cost-cutting move. The corrosive water lacked adequate treatment and caused lead to leach from old pipes.
Bernie Sanders followed Clinton’s remarks by noting that he has called for Snyder’s resignation.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
