Sen. Bernie Sanders talks to NBC's Andrea Mitchell in an interview that aired on Wednesday's broadcast of Andrea Mitchell Reports on MSNBC. Sanders responds to how he is 200 delegates behind Hillary Clinton and explains his opinion on superdelegates. Transcript, via MSNBC:
SANDERS: If you look at the map of primaries and caucuses, it turns out that the early states really do favor Secretary Clinton because a lot of those delegates came from the Deep South, where Secretary Clinton was first lady in Arkansas for many years and had a lot of contacts in that region, where Bill Clinton in fact is very popular. He was Governor of Arkansas. But as the map moves forward and as we move, for example, into the West -- California, Washington, Arizona, Oregon, Wisconsin -- you're going to see a lot of states where we believe we have an excellent chance to win.
And here is what I also think, Andrea. A lot of these superdelegates were pledged to Hillary Clinton way back when, probably before I even got into the race or just shortly afterwards. And when they begin to look at the reality of politics today, and that is that virtually every national poll and almost all of the state-wide polls that have Bernie Sanders against Donald Trump, we do better -- and in some cases much, much better -- than Hillary Clinton does against Trump.
Just coming from Michigan, there was a poll out there that had me 22 points ahead of Trump. That is a state that obviously Democrats have to win. So I think that many of these superdelegates who under the most important issue is that we do not allow a Republican to get into the Oval Office, I think you're going to see some of them rethinking their commitment to Secretary Clinton if we can show that we're winning states around this country. We have now won, I guess, nine states and a lot more are yet to come.
MITCHELL: The Republican National Committee today filed suit against Hillary Clinton, wanting the State Department communications after she left office, or communications between Clinton and her campaign. Would you agree with that lawsuit? Do you want to see more records exposed from the private server and from the Clinton State Department?
SANDERS: As you know, Andrea -- you and I have discussed this many, many times -- my concern is what's happening to the middle class in this country. My concern is about a corrupt campaign finance system, and to point out that Hillary Clinton has received -- at least her super PAC -- has received $15 million from Wall Street.
You know, there's an investigation going on. There's a process going on with e-mails. You know, what I am focusing on is the issues impacting the American people. And one of the issues, by the way, is that we have received for our campaign 5 million individual contributions averaging $27 a piece. This is a campaign of the people and by the people. We don't have a super PAC. We don't get money from Wall Street. I don't give speeches behind closed doors to Goldman Sachs and I'm very proud of that issue. I think the American people are taking note of that.
SANDERS: Why do you think that in the exit polls you scored so well with people who value honesty and trustworthiness as their No. 1 concern? Do you think it's the Goldman Sachs transcripts that she hasn't released yet?
