John Kerry Deletes F-Bomb Denial of Anti-Bernie Campaign Plans

CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA - DECEMBER 06: former Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry list
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Hannah Knudsen

Former Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday dropped an F-bomb while denying an NBC report that he is mulling the possibility of jumping into the Democrat primary — then deleted and reposted his statement without the profanity.

An NBC News report on Sunday detailed an alleged conversation purportedly overheard by an NBC News analyst featuring Kerry, who, according to the report, was discussing what it would take for him to jump into the presidential race over concerns of “the possibility of Bernie Sanders taking down the Democratic Party — down whole.”

According to the report:

Sitting in the lobby restaurant of the Renaissance Savery hotel, Kerry was overheard by an NBC News analyst saying “maybe I’m f—ing deluding myself here” and explaining that to run, he’d have to step down from the board of Bank of America and give up his ability to make paid speeches. Kerry said donors like venture capitalist Doug Hickey would have to “raise a couple of million,” adding that such donors “now have the reality of Bernie.”

Kerry told the outlet that he was “absolutely not” considering a last-minute entry into the race, calling the situation a “complete and total misinterpretation based on overhearing only one side of a phone conversation.”

“A friend who watches too much cable called me wondering whether I’d ever jump into the race late in the game if Democrats were choosing an unelectable nominee,” he told NBC News.

“I listed all the reasons I could not possibly do that and would not — and will not under any circumstances — do that,” he added.

He also immediately denied the report on Twitter.

“As I told the reporter, I am absolutely not running for President. Any report otherwise is fucking (or categorically) false),” he originally tweeted before deleting the tweet and reposting another version without the expletive.

Kerry is publicly backing Joe Biden (D) in the Democrat primary, praising the former vice president over the weekend for being willing to “do something” about guns.

Nevertheless, the alleged conversation, as NBC News notes, is emblematic of the mounting concerns among establishment Democrats over Sanders, who continues to surge in the polls. The concerns are so prevalent that a handful of Democratic National Committee (DNC) members are reportedly discussing a rule change going into the convention, which could potentially damage Sanders’ chances of becoming the nominee.

As Breitbart News reported:

According to Politico, a handful of DNC members are exploring the possibility of adjusting the current policy, which prevents DNC members and top party officials from voting on the first ballot at the party’s July convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is a move that would “effectively boost” the influence of “superdelegates” and potentially damage Sanders’ chances of becoming the party’s nominee.

However, the DNC is publicly shooting down the idea.

“[DNC Chairman] Tom Perez fought tooth and nail to ensure our nominee would be chosen by pledged delegates, not automatic delegates,” DNC spokesman David Bergstein said, according to Politico.

“The DNC passed these reforms unanimously. These rules make our party stronger and help ensure our eventual nominee has the full support of the party behind them,” Bergstein added.

The caucuses in Iowa, where Sanders is currently leading in the polls, kick off Monday evening.

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