Senator Bernie Sanders has admitted that Democrats are a “threat to democracy”.

On the latest Flagrant podcast, the independent senator from Vermont agreed with comedian Andrew Schulz that the Democratic Party “completely removed the democratic process from its constituents.”

Referring to Hillary Clinton’s 2016 primary win and the selection of Kamala Harris as the party’s presidential candidate in 2024, Schulz complained that Democratic voters had little influence over the choice of their leader. “As Democrats, we felt that we didn’t have a say on who could be president,” Schulz said. “We talk a lot about the Republicans being autocrats and oligarchs and taking over democracy. But from the Democrat perspective — and I’m a lifelong Democrat — I felt like the Democratic Party completely removed the democratic process from its constituents. And I think they need to have some accountability for that.” “No argument here,” Sanders responded.

In the same exchange, co-host Akaash Singh went further by suggesting to Sanders that the Democrats had not had a “fair” primary in the last four election cycles. “Could we not also say, ostensibly, there hasn’t been a fair primary for the Democrats since 2008?” Singh asked. “Are they not also a threat to democracy?” “Yes,” Sanders replied. “Fair enough. I’m not gonna argue with that point. And that’s why I’m proudly an independent.”

Schulz also confessed that Sanders “broke [his] heart” when he endorsed Clinton in 2016, arguing that “they” — the Democratic establishment — “stole” it from Sanders. “In the world that I live in…you’re down to a choice,” Sanders said. “Is it going to be Hillary Clinton? Or is it going to be Donald Trump? Not a great choice.”

Bernie Sanders has been a vocal critic of the Democratic Party’s internal structure for several years. Recently, he has taken his message on the road with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as part of their “Fighting Oligarchy” tour across America, where the pair have criticised the outsized influence of wealthy donors and consultants. In March this year, he also claimed that the Democrats had “no grassroots support” because it was “heavily dominated by the billionaire class, run by consultants who are way out of touch with reality.”

In the Flagrant podcast, Sanders added that consultants also contributed to Harris’s loss last year. Responding to Schulz’s claim that Kamala ran as the continuity candidate, Sanders responded: “That was her bloody consultants. I know Kamala: she’s a friend and she’s very smart. But that was what her bloody consultants told her to say,” he said. “I begged them”.