Sanders says 'ultra-rich' have been ‘looting’ for 40 years, amid looting of businesses and banks

As looters target corporations and banks in protest across the county, Sen. Bernie Sanders, a former Democratic presidential candidate, says "ultra-rich" individuals have been "looting" in America for 40 years.

"The richest 400 Americans sit on $3 trillion – the size of the entire UK economy," Sanders, a Vermont Independent who caucuses with Senate Democrats, tweeted Sunday. "The billionaire class now pays a lower tax rate than people living paycheck to paycheck. The looting of America has been going on for over 40 years – and the culprits are the ultra-rich."

Sanders has not denounced the actions of the violent protestors, who have set fires in cities and looted large retailers such as Target and banks including Chase.

In New York City, looters smashed the windows of luxury retailers and loaded merchandise into vehicles on Sunday. In Washington D.C., businesses in Georgetown and other areas were looted. 

The congressional office for Sanders, a democratic socialist, did not respond to an immediate request for comment Monday.

Like Sanders, Sen. Elizabeth Warren was a 2020 Democrat president candidate who often criticizes millionaires, billionaires and corporations as contributors to income inequality in the U.S.

Warren hasn't addressed the six straight nights of riots and looting in U.S. cities, sparked by the death of George Floyd, who died May 29 after being arrested by Minneapolis police.

Boston, in Warren's home state of Massachusetts, is one of the cities that has seen violent protests including looting and vehicles set on fire. Her office also did not respond to a request for comment before publication.