Warren on fundraising: ‘I saw how the system works’ and ‘I wanted to do better’

“I saw how this system works. And I decided when I got in the presidential race that I wanted to do better than that,” she told reporters Saturday night. “And that’s why I just quit doing it. I don’t sell access to my time. I don’t call high dollar fundraisers. I’m out there raising money grassroots all across this country, because I want to move this in the right direction, we can’t be a country that just keeps getting worse and worse.”

Warren — who rarely takes swipes at her Democratic rivals, even on the debate stage — slammed Buttigieg for his big-donor fundraising practices. Instead of doing high-dollar fundraisers like Buttigieg, Warren has said she would not solicit wealthy donors and hold high-dollar fundraisers.

Warren, however, faced criticism after a report published Saturday revealed she held a fundraiser in June 2018 for her Senate reelection where she gave out souvenir wine bottles.

Warren explained to reporters in a media availability after a town hall in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Saturday why she quit high-dollar fundraising after her Senate elections.

“So I think what’s important is what direction are we taking this in, you know,” she added. “I don’t think the American people are looking for purity. I think they’re looking for someone who’s trying, trying to make this system better and that’s what I’m doing.”

Warren’s deputy communications director Chris Hayden also released a statement Saturday night.

“This event, which occurred before the presidential campaign, was held at a large public music venue with multiple locations throughout the country, not an exclusive wine cave,” he said in the statement. “Their most expensive bottle of wine is $49. As the invite shows, the minimum to get in was $100. It did not require a maxout donation to attend.”